POSITIVITY | JOY

10 Things That Made Me Smile Yesterday

Taking some moments to notice the little things

I have been on a bit of a downer recently, as highlighted in a recent story I wrote, to which I have had a lot of warm, encouraging, and kind comments. Thank you, Medium community, for your big hearts.

Perhaps as a way to counteract the fog, I have a tendency to throw myself into projects and set myself goals when things become more challenging, and right now hasn’t been any different. The problem can be that I have plenty of ideas and never enough time to pour into each of them.

So, among my current projects, I have a fun and light-hearted book about cats that is, at present, in a very messy draft form, and a couple of low content journals that I am designing, with prompts, ideas, daily logs, and reflections. And, although I have a friend awaiting my cat book draft so that she can design the cover, I have found myself spending much more time with the journal design.

One thing that jumped out at me yesterday was that, of all the people who could probably do with using this journal and its prompts, my recent state of mind places me as a perfect candidate.

I was on a quick mission in a nearby town where I go to stock up on fish offcuts for my pets and bones from the butcher for the dogs. I also popped into the supermarket, having made the decision to buy things for dinner that would take 5 minutes to put together.

That was me being kind to myself by giving myself a night off cooking while also opting for a cheaper convenience option that getting a Chinese takeaway. Go me!

As I was exiting the supermarket, a woman with a little girl were in front of me. I wouldn’t have taken much notice if it I hadn’t noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that this little girl was wearing sunglasses, and they happened to be upside-down.

If this wasn’t already amusing, add to that the fact that it was a dull day, there was snow on the ground, and she was also wrapped up in a warm coat, a hat, and a scarf. Oh, and she was pushing a toy pushchair which kept leading her in completely the wrong direction and kept having to be course-corrected by her mother.

As I watched her and began to smile, I realised how little time I have taken recently to just observe the world around me and simply smile.

It can be so easy to get caught up in our own heads, running our plans of defence against a challenging world through our minds, make ourselves busy, and yet fail to notice the little things that can effortlessly bring joy to us.

And I thought of my half-made journal with its prompts, and realised that I had not included the simple yet powerful prompt: Things that made me smile today.

Smiling is powerful. Period.

Smiling is powerful.

The act of smiling actually makes our brain do some pretty cool things that enable us to fight off stress and release dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These then help to reduce the experience of pain and lift our spirits. Yep, it’s documented by science.

Equally powerful can be the act of noticing and reflecting upon the things that made us smile.

And likewise, using a prompt, similar to the “Capturing Gratitude” idea that I wrote about recently, can force you to slow down and take stock of where you are putting your attention.

And so I decided to not only remember to add this one to my journal prompts but to respond in a story here on Medium. Yes, it can be challenging to come up with a selection of things that made me smile but, I repeat, very powerful.

The little girl was the instigator, now it’s time to stretch my brain to remember more moments of simple, joyful smiling.

9 Things That Made Me Smile Yesterday

1. My cat, Blackie, as ever, climbing into my lap while I am trying to type, and making it vastly more difficult. I would view it as a pain in the arse but it’s too adorable to curse over. Instead, I let go and use the time to read instead.
2. Snowy the dog, bringing a raw hide chew to show me in her excitement at me coming home. The strange groaning that comes out of her mouth every time she does this is hilarious and very cute, in a very bizarre kind of a way.
3. The warmth of my home when it’s -4 Celsius outside. It can feel truly miraculous to be sitting so cosily indoors when it’s so bitter beyond my walls.
4. A few hours to myself to get work done, to get the last of the clutter cleared, ready for the holidays, and to have the home in a nice state for the weekend ahead. After all, school breaks today for the big ‘uns and tomorrow lunchtime for the little ‘un, and then it’s all go from there.
5. The fact that my life is, on the whole, in good working order right now. Back in September, I wrote about how my broken home felt like a metaphor for my life, and it really did seem like one thing after another was breaking in my world for a good, long while. That included the combi boiler, the plumbing, my printer, my oven and, later, my car. But today — and a few hundred £s later — everything is working and it feels good!
6. The buzz from my kids who are excited to have holidays. No matter how you look at it, those school terms are long and challenging, and the holidays never feel like they come too soon. Although the lack of structure in the holidays can sometimes get to me, there is nothing more delightful than seeing them relaxing and resting when they have worked and played hard for a full term at school.
7. Snow. Despite not being someone who claims to like the cold — and I really don’t — there is something magical and beautiful about there being snow on the ground. In addition, because my nephew is living here in the UK for the first time and has only seen snow once before in his life — earlier this year in the Pyrenees — it was extremely exciting for him, and he and I went out walking at 10.30 pm as it began, the night before last. It was like walking into another world. And then he brought the tone down by drawing naughty pictures in the snow on people’s car windscreens!
8. Mince pies with a cup of tea. If there is one festive food that I am extremely partial to, it’s mince pies. I have no idea if they are even a thing outside of the UK so, in case they aren’t let me explain. No meat involved (I am vegetarian). The mince is dried fruit and citrus peel, usually laced with a tiny bit of brandy. The pastry has to be made with butter for it to really qualify, although I have had some delicious vegan mince pies too. And the tea — properly English, if you please, with a splash of non-homogenised local farm milk because it tastes so much better.
9. The number 9, which is always in my life in one way or another. I have always loved the number nine. Even before both my daughters’ birthdays fell on the ninth of their respective birth months. I also discovered, while in India, that in Hinduism the number nine is very auspicious, being the number associated with the Divine Mother, and being the number of dimensions the universe is considered to be made up of. Hence, choosing nine for this list.

But didn’t I mention ten in my title?

I did mention ten in my title.

Don’t forget about the little girl with the upside-down sunglasses at the supermarket. She was the one who started it all.

How about you? Can you write a story in which you share ten things (or nine of you prefer) that have made you smile in the last twenty-four hours?

If so, do mention me so that I can read what you have shared.

This wouldn’t be complete without giving a shoutout to my sweet friend, Vidya, who collects smiles. She is always writing things that make me smile, such as this beautifully, vulnerably grateful essay:

And this festive ballet account by Michele Maize made me smile, bringing up some very special memories of my own daughter’s dancing experience.