Today I Choose to be Beaming – How to be Beaming

Beaming is different from happy. Happy can be quiet, subtle, even private. But beaming is visible—it’s joy that radiates outward, lighting up not just your own face, but the whole room.

I felt that the day Jesse surprised me with the copper mangrove mailbox he had crafted.

Copper, welding, artistry—it was stunning, but more than that, it was him. His creativity, his humor, his heart poured into something tangible. When he unveiled it, I couldn’t stop smiling. My face split into a grin so wide it almost hurt. Every time I looked at it—every single time—the smile returned, automatic and unstoppable.

Curtis said I was literally glowing. The UPS driver asked what I was so happy about. The neighbor commented on my “radiant energy.” I couldn’t have hidden it if I tried.

The Physics of Beaming

That’s the thing about beaming: it’s joy that refuses to stay inside. It shines through your eyes, your smile, your very presence. It’s not a choice or a decision—it’s an overflow.

Beaming happens when joy is too big for your body to contain. It spills out through:

• That involuntary smile that makes your cheeks ache
• Eyes that actually sparkle (it’s real, not just poetry)
• An energy that makes strangers ask “what’s your secret?”
• A lightness that makes you feel like you might float
• A warmth that others can literally feel when you enter a room

The Copper Mailbox Effect

It’s been three years since Jesse made that mailbox. I still beam when I see it. Every. Single. Day.

When I get the mail, I touch the copper curves he shaped. When I explain to visitors that my son made it, my face does that thing again—that uncontrollable smile that starts in my chest and radiates outward.

It’s not just about the mailbox. It’s about what it represents: being seen, being loved, being surprised by beauty you didn’t expect.

When Beaming Finds You

I’ve beamed at other moments too:

• When Tyler called to say he got the promotion he didn’t think was possible
• When Curtis looked at me across a crowded room after 25 years and winked
• When a reader wrote to say my words helped her through a dark day
• When the grandkids run toward me yelling “Grandma!”
• When my first Dutch pour painting actually looked like art

Notice the pattern? Beaming often happens when love and pride collide, when beauty or meaning is so great it has to spill out.

The Difference Between Happy and Beaming

Happy is contentment with your morning coffee.
Beaming is when Curtis brings it to you in your dragonfly mug without being asked.

Happy is a good day at work.
Beaming is when someone recognizes your effort publicly.

Happy is a text from your kid.
Beaming is when they say “I love you” for no reason.

Happy lives inside you. Beaming escapes and lights up everything around you.

Why We Don’t Beam More Often

At 61, I’ve learned that we often suppress our beaming. We think it’s too much, too visible, too vulnerable. We dim ourselves to be appropriate, professional, contained.

But here’s what I know: The world needs more beaming. Your joy—unconstrained and radiating—gives others permission to feel theirs. Your beaming face might be the brightness someone needs in their dark day.

Creating Beaming Moments

You can’t force beaming, but you can create conditions for it:

• Notice beauty without immediately moving on
• Let pride in others fully wash over you
• Receive compliments without deflecting
• Celebrate small victories like they’re huge
• Allow yourself to be surprised by joy

The Secret of Beaming

Here’s what Jesse’s copper mailbox taught me: Beaming isn’t manufactured, and you can’t fake it. It happens when you allow yourself to feel fully, without restraint, so much so that it naturally radiates outward.

The more you give yourself permission to savor pride, joy, or awe, the more those emotions show on your face and brighten the world around you. To beam is to embody joy so fully it becomes contagious.

My copper mangrove mailbox still makes me beam. Not because it’s copper or artistic or unique. But because every time I see it, I remember: I am loved by someone who would spend hours crafting beauty just to see my face light up.

That’s worth beaming about.

What makes you beam? Not just smile, not just feel happy—but radiate joy so bright that strangers notice? Find that thing. Seek those moments. Let yourself shine without apology.

The world needs your beaming face. Trust me on this.