Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Gymnastics of Smiling

Some days smiling is easy, with no worries, perfect weather outside, finances and family in order, my cooking and writing acceptable, health fine for me and for everyone around me, and no disasters, wars, fights, or elections blaring from the TV.

Not every day, however, starts this way. There are days I wake up to chaos around me, which instigates another chaos inside my head. It is in such times that I wish to stop the world so I can get off, if only for a while. Yet, an alternative exists inside me, inside finding something worth to smile about. For that alternative, I either look back into my life or search around me.

Ten things I do, to find something to smile about, are:

1. I sign in to Writing.com or Facebook. Something always exists in there somewhere to smile about, be it an e-mail, a C-note, a prize of some kind, someone else’s success or someone sharing a funny video, a clip of his life, or a meaningful quotation.

2. I call my best friend and cousin on the phone. When we talk together, our words are like a soothing balm, as we remind each other not to take anything too seriously and our shared motto, “This, too, shall pass.”

3. I talk to my husband. Even though he is a pessimist by nature, if he sees me upset, he’ll find something to say to put a smile on my lips.

4. My sons and I have some kind of a psychic connection. If I am feeling a bit low, you can be sure I’ll hear from one or the other in some way, usually by phone.

5. I re-order my desk or my kitchen or a closet or two. Just the success of this little achievement is something to smile about.

6. I go to Youtube and watch cat or dog videos. When I had cats and dogs, they always made me smile and forget about what’s making me upset. Now, in the absence of animal friends, the antics of other people’s pets serve as the second best.

7. Listening to music always puts a smile on my face and a few extra dreams in my heart.

8. I look through family pictures and feel like I am still together with those who have passed on and with those who live far away.

9. I take a walk. For sure, I’ll see, experience, and hear something funny or significant.

10. I try to lose myself in reading a novel, a mystery, or some well-written story. Just an hour of reading is enough to take me away from carrying around that frown on my face.

As an anonymous quote says, there are seven pretty good days in a week, and some day just isn’t one of them, and since happiness and smiles are homemade, I always have a choice to make progress or to show the negatives in my life as excuses. I prefer to search and find a smile, especially when a smile isn’t readily available. If nothing works, I still smile because I am still breathing.

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Prompt: List ten things that make you smile.