v30.3: Things That Make Me Smile

Good morning folks,

-slurp-

Have you ever taken the time to write down the things that make you smile?  These past couple weeks I've been struggling with writing ideas.  I partly blame work because by the time I get home each day my brain is a mess and when I get to the office in the morning I'm busy from the moment my ass hits the chair.  There never seems to be any good time to write anymore.

-slurp-

That is why today I've decided to do everything in my power to write and today I wanted to talk about something completely opposite of what I'm feeling; things that make me smile.  This morning I awoke with a smile on my face.  My wife woke earlier to get the baby who was crying in the next room.  She brought the baby into bed with us but there was no way you were going to settle that bundle of energy down.  She was awake and she wasn't going to be happy until every person in the house was awake with her.  Truth be told, it was 6:30 and we all should have been ready to get up anyway, but for some reason I just couldn't pry myself from my pillow.  My alarm clock went off, as it seems to always do on days I work, and the radio clicked on.  A song was playing and immediately, without skipping a beat, my baby girl started bopping her head to the music.  This made me smile.

-slurp-

Sometimes the things that make us smile the most are the things that seem very small and insignificant.  The simple bopping of my baby girl to the music on my alarm clock was enough to shift my mood to happy as I got out of bed and ready for work.  That simple movement has been on my mind all morning and every time I think about it I smile and it changes everything.  What makes you smile?

-slurp-

I am reminded of when "The Secret" first came out on DVD and my wife and I picked it up and watched it.  Up until that point I was always depressed and angry with life.  We had just recently moved to Halifax leaving behind our life in Calgary to what we thought was a better life.  We were both upset and depressed to be in Halifax and were looking for ways to break free and head "home" to Alberta.  Of course, if we had the money back then, we would be back in Alberta today.  A friend at work who always seemed to have a positive outlook on life recommended "The Secret" to me and said I should watch it.  That simple recommendation changed our lives.  I'm not saying that you should go out and buy "The Secret", but I will say it is worth the watch, just watch out for the "Law of Attraction" business and getting anything you want.  The part that made the biggest impact on my life was learning how to shift my mood.  I've talked about shifting before in previous musings because it is something that is very important to learn.  Sometimes all it takes is a simple adjustment in your attitude to change everything.  A smile on your face is seen by someone else which may brighten their day; it doesn't take much to smile and even if you don't feel like smiling it can't hurt to put one out there since there is a good chance it will help someone else.  If you wake in the morning and you're feeling grumpy and angry, think of something that makes you smile.  Make a conscience effort to change the attitude or you risk spending the rest of your day depressed or gloomy.

-slurp-

The transformation in my attitude didn't change over night but as time went on it became easier for me to put a positive spin on things and I was able to make the best out of the worst situations.  Now my wife and I are a lot happier to be living in Halifax and we have grown a lot closer as a couple because that happiness is contagious.  When one of us is feeling down, the other will work harder to raise the spirits.  Everyone has an off day now and again, we are only human after all.  That is why it is important that you prepare for it and be ready to put on that smile to brighten someone's day.

-slurp-

Anyway folks, I need to go and smile at my computer screen.  Remember, if you plan on doing a lot of smiling, make sure you brush your teeth.  Ugly, dirty teeth in a smile can sometimes cause the opposite effect.

-slurp-

Cheers,

Al