Smiles are contagious, Hugs are Healing.

As a mom, we always seem to hear about all the "bugs" going around. "So-and-so's kids all have _____" and "Mom! _____ in my class has chicken pox/lice/the flu!" We quickly shiver in fear, pull out the extra vitamins and hope that our little ones' immune systems will fight this virus before it hits our home if full force.

Enough about "bad" virus' though, I seem to keep most out of my body and family by sheer will and positive thinking (at least I hope! [fingers crossed]). Let's talk about "GOOD" contagious bugs.

Here's a list of the ones I can think of right now:

• Smiles (super easy...genuine ones act really well, fake ones just don't cut it.)
• Hugs - we need to spread these a lot more...the more you give, the more you get!
• Compliments (who have you complimented today?)
• Positive thinking: Hang around someone with pure positivity and it grows on you pretty quick.
• Encouragement: try to encourage someone else without encouraging yourself...it's almost impossible.
• the "Helping Hands" bugs, the more the merrier. There's nothing quite like doing something together.
• Giving, loving, caring, - these are all such contagious bugs that anyone in their midst seems to catch them or at least bask in their glow, learn from them and usually desire them in their own lives.

So now, we get to try and spread these good virus'. Experiment by seeing how contagious a smile really is. How many faces around you can you change purely by grinning. And then there's the Positive Thinking virus. If we spend time with people who have it, read books about it, read blogs and quotes full of positivity, we're bound to catch a case of it!

I challenge you to become a "good bug" carrier, an infectious bundle of love, happiness and smiles...let's see how contagious you really are.