Smile

"Well, Jasmine didn't sleep well last night," my maid observed.

My wife touched the forehead and the nape of our daughter's neck, wondering. "Jasmine looks fine," I took a deep breath and asked my wife. "Do you think so?" Jasmine was sitting on the rug in our living room, her soft arms waving with enthusiasm, absolutely concentrating on her dad's making a tower of blocks.

At six months, she has been wearing an attractive smile on her dimpled cheek. So warm, her smiles and laughter, so catching and alive. While scientists have shown that simply reading happy words - verbs like "to smile" and "to laugh" - can bring a smile to someone's face, I don't need a scientist to prove that watching my daughter alone can serve the same purpose.

"I'm not sure," my maid said. "Jasmine doesn't eat very well."

Now we paused to listen to her. My maid nodded. "Like me," she said. "Can you believe it?" She was referring to her recent quarrel with boyfriend. Muddled and heartbreaking, the two of them talked as if their relationship was covered with ice. She didn't sleep or eat well.

My maid's voice was weary, but then a smile flickered across her face. "Oh, contagious - even my mood and appetite to a kid like Jasmine. Nothing's simpler."