Thoughts from English Class: Give Light

One of the three English Literature courses I'm taking this semester is ENGL 3110: Romanticism. We're covering a fair amount of Romantic texts that I've read for other English classes at Queen's, but having different professors always means that I'm presented with different interpretations of the same work, and is always so interesting.

Last class I came across a line from William's Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell that has stuck with me all week. It reads:

"He whose face gives no light shall never become a star." 

I already consider myself a pretty upbeat and positive person and it's not even like I've been feeling down or anything recently, but I feel like this proverb is offering a call to action and I love it. The image of a face "giving light" suggests this immense sense of warmth and comfort - two traits I'd love to be associated with. I am lucky enough to be a naturally happy and expressive person, which means that I never really need to actively think about whether or not my face "gives light". But can you imagine the repercussions of awesome that could arise if people made conscious efforts to express positivity? 

I've been consumed by this thought for the last few days and have come up with different ways I'm going to personally try and make sure my face "gives light":

     - Actively greeting people with a genuine smile

     - Asking direct questions when making conversation so it's not just small-talk

     - Listen to music that makes me happy
     - Surround myself with people who make positive influences on my life

I'm looking forward to trying this out. How will your face give light?