They say ‘A smile is a beautiful thing.’ but even more beautiful are the people and things that make you smile.
Smiles are kind of sneaky, creeping across your lips when you least expect them, when the weight of the world is on your shoulders or you are deep in a memory. There is no doubt the world needs more smiles, admit it a smile can make your day, giving or receiving.
A sadness is that we never properly acknowledge when we smile, the people, places and things that give us an inner warm and fuzzy. So with that in mind I thought I would start my own recognition list, it will definitely get longer over time. Maybe you want to try the same, I expect even making the list up will make you smile… 🙂
What makes me smile:
- 8 June 2024:
- The way Miss Frieda likes to lie just outside my office door while I am working, peeking around the corner to see if I have the time to play fetch.
- Watching Sam come down the stairs Saturday morning with his sketch book under his arm, knowing he is heading for his happy place.
- Popping out of my office to cook my wife a quick meal when she comes in after an exhausting day at work.
- Listening to Dr. Campbell talking, she gets so excited and animated, her comments simply brilliant. She has lucky students!
- Even after all these years realizing that the positive people from way back are still as upbeat as ever! Lynn, Ange, Ed – You Rock!
- When a box of mini-doughnuts or a bag of ju-jubes mysteriously appears at the corner of my desk.
- Posting one of my food experiments on here and someone commenting “Oooh, I want to try that!”.
- Takeout nachos and tacos at 9:30pm – just cuz.
- People who smile back on the street (I know it’s goofy but I am the guy who smiles at people on the street just cuz I feel like it).
- Frieda jumping up and down in front of my office door to tell me I have been sitting here at my laptop for too long and it is time for me to pay her some attention (happening right now…lol).
- Seeing a meme on FB and knowing exactly the person who will get a chuckle out of it (bonus if they respond – even a groan 🙂 )
- Seeing a gaggle of chickadees, even the odd cardinal at my bird feeder.
- 9 June 2024
- The clerks at King’s Confectionary. They must work a scabillion hours a week (just two of them!) but they are always smiling!
- Reconnecting with friends after 50 years and realizing that, though older with a lot more grey, they are still the same cool people you knew way back when!
- Frieda lying under my wife’s chair knowing that there will be potato chips for snacks later.
- Sitting in the backyard on a June evening with the sound of the waves and seabirds playing on my earbuds.
- Devon Rodriguez reels on social media (subway sketch artist – look him up!)
- 10 June 2024
- Gratitude posts on my Buy-Nothing group – giving and receiving!
- Dog rescue reels on FB (Asher House rules!)
- All Creatures Great and Small – latest version is the BEST so far!
- 11 June 2024
- That silent wave your neighbour gives you first thing in the morning
- Seeing my ‘little sister’ painting up a storm again after all these years. Way to go Dode!
- An afternoon wandering through the National Gallery.
- Visiting Remic Rapids to see this year’s new rock sculptures.
- Sketching with Sam (haven’t done much lately, sadly)
- When Frieda sneaks into my office to sleep next to my feet (she gets the lonelies during the day).
- Special Olympians – the joy on their faces, it’s not about ‘higher, harder, faster’ it is about a sense of belonging, friendship, all of that stuff but it is great to see in action!
- 15 June 2024
- The ‘Good Morning’s from the team. We are all hundreds of miles apart but together, is cool!
- The happy ‘Hello!’ bark from Frieda when we return home from shopping (yes, it does sound like ‘Hello!’)
- #3goodthings on Mastodon. Sometimes it is hard to see the good things but a quick read can often make my day, especially knowing how tough the backstory is for some of the people posting!
- The little black nose that pops up from under my desk for a smile and a pet in the middle of a hectic day (my job is 50% psychologist and 50% air traffic controller). This week we took down the barriers to my office and Miss Frieda is loving being able to snooze under my desk – me too!
- 19 June 2024
- Lots to smile about lately though I have been too busy and durned hot to sit down to my blog – a jug of iced coffee appearing in my fridge on the hottest day of the year (37C today, humidex about 48C!). Thank you Lori!
- Way too many cute dog reels on FB (what a lovely rabbit-hole to fall down).
- Chilled rice noodle salad with cold cuts on a hot day – yumm!
- Being too busy to check the online news sites a zillion times a day.
- Miss Frieda smile of the day – her deciding she would rather just hang out in the shade with Dad than chase after a ball (believe it takes a lot for her to not want to play ball!)
- Getting a ‘win’ with Harbir after a LOT of effort (inside thing) – Booyah!.
- Grabbing a muffin on the way into the office, knowing it is a blueberry one.
- 20 June 2024
- The first three notes of Radar Love – reminds me of ripping around with J.R.. Good times, missed much.
- When I step outside and realize it is raining, after a few days of sweltering heat!
- When peeps post pics of C.R. and I recognize where they were taken, even after all these years.
- Chapman’s Neapolitan Ice Cream on a hot day. Was there ever such a simple treat?
- Looking up from another crazee day at work and realizing it is 5:00pm… yeeha!
- 27 June 2024
- Working in my office today while Frieda slept under my desk; got up to grab a coffee and realized she had wrapped her paws around my feet as she slept.
- The Blue Jays trounced the Yankees tonight, always makes me smile!
- Tomorrow is the last work day before the long weekend. Woot!
- (the little things that matter) After years of searching I finally found a fedora I like. Might be my new style.
- 29 June 2024
- The sound of rain on the awning I am sitting under sipping my morning coffee. Reminds me of sleeping in the tent at the beach so many mooons ago.
- Hearing about old friends showing up unannounced to renew friendships. How cool Dode (say Hi! to Steve for me! 🙂 )!
- A quiet, rainy Saturday to just chill, do a bit of housework and generally relax and recharge
- Thinking about Beany putting the peanut butter and jelly on his bread then sticking it in the toaster to save time! lol…
- Thinking about Ray rolling his eyes at my attempts to fish for pickerel, basically anything but the overhanging branches. Wonder where Ray is these days?
- 1 July 2024
- Watching Frieda at the door to my office, caught between being with me in my office and watching Mom to see if there is a treat headed her way.
- Fireflies – growing up on the wet coast I don’t remember ever seeing them; now they are a nightly occurrence, one even landed on my chest and winked at me.
- Canada Day – a half smile perhaps, pride at being Canadian, sadness at how we settlers treated our First Nations.
- Silly materialistic smile – my office is a hodge-podge of rolling carts and small tables. Last night we ordered me a new desk and chair… woot!
- After weeks of alternating blazing heat and monsoons, this morning dawned gloriously sunny and cool. Lovely morning to just sit in the backyard and sip coffee.
- 3 July 2024
- Walking in a misting rain after a stifling humid day. Felt really good.
- Marco’s hilarious GIF’s at the end of the day. Wonder where he gets them?
- People who greet me out of the blue on the street. I don’t know them but they just want to say ‘Hello!’.
- 27 July 2024
- It has been awhile, lots to smile about but just uber-busy the last few weeks. The Olympics arrived so I made the Junior General a paracord bracelet (he loves bracelets) in Canada’s colours (red and white). Big Smile!
- My wife and son were off for 10 days visiting friends and touring about Lake Huron. Big smile on Miss Frieda’s face when they came home (as well as the gyrating bum and jumping!).
- George Carlin. The man is a genius and if I need a good belly laugh it only takes about two minutes on one of his reels on FB. There are very few George Carlins left in the world and he is missed.
- Although it was not the best circumstances it makes me smile seeing Kamala Harris running for President. About damned time considering women are more than half the population. Now my smile might just turn into a grin if she could convince AOC to be her running mate and put the boots to Trump and Vance!
- more to come…