When I was a little girl, I was given a present for my birthday that I think could change everyone’s life. It wasn’t anything spiritual or soulful, religious or deep. It was simply a list of things that made the author smile. As an adult, I often give the advice to my friends and family who are perhaps in a slump, or having a bad day, to write down ten things before they get up and ten things before they rest their eyes that bring a smile to their face. As big as can be or a tiny little gesture, write it down. It truly starts your day off with a positive vibe and brings your head to a rest the same. It is a really great practice and I would encourage everyone to do it daily – even on your very happiest of days – ensuring you remain grateful and allowing more goodness to come into your life. The great thing about this practice is that anyone can do it – you don’t have to be a writer or mindful or spiritual – you just need to practice writing the items down that bring a smile to your face. So as you can imagine, I have quite the list after all these years so thought I would share some of my personal smiles with you.
Vanilla ice cream, the feeling of sun on my shoulders, beaches – all of them, japanese food at Koy in Vegas, vodka, music to dance to, chill to, love to, laughing to the point of crying, the comfort of a family dinner table, blueberries with cottage cheese, Quentin Terrentino movies, Kung Fu movies, scary movies under a blanket, cuddling, cuddling, cuddling, the sound of a baby giggling, acoustic guitar, a conversation that changes your outlook, a hug that doesn’t let go, a kiss that doesn’t end, the color red, the color pink, street art, chocolate, leather, accessories a plenty, a new hoody, lululemon sweatpants, my nieces and nephews being crazy, love, yoga, a good training session at kickboxing, arts and crafts, slurpees on hot days, hot chocolate after skating on the river, red wine, girl talk, honest talk, getting tattooed, red wine laughs, motivational girls chats, breakfast in bed, winter wonderland activities, pilates, cuddles by a fire.
The list can go on and on…I hope this inspires you to smile at the little things and be grateful for it all.