Blog Archives
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 11
Rodney at Water Fountain
One of the benefits of having children is that they literally look at the world through different eyes. That’s why my daughter had to point out that the water fountain at our local park is designed for dogs.
I’ve walked by the fountain hundreds of times and even used it on occasion. Yet I never noticed that particularly amenity until my daughter instructed me to let our dog use the lower fountain while we humans drank from the two higher ones.
The concept is brilliant, and watching my dog take advantage of it always makes me smile.
Day 11: Water Fountains for Dogs
Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial
Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember
Day 7: Finding the missing sock
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 10
There was a time in elementary school when my classmates and I were constantly imitating a commercial on television.
We weren’t singing “my bologna has a first name” or “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz.”
We were making the sound of a motorcycle in a beer commercial.
This was long before the advertising companies were shamed for making adult products appeal to children. In fact, I don’t remember anyone expressing concern that we were constantly making the sound of a motorcycle promoting “RAAAAIIIIIN EEEEER BEEEEEEER.” They were probably as amused as we were.
These days, we can find plenty of fault with the commercial, which can be seen on YouTube (Rainier Beer commercial), but watching it always makes me smile.
Day 10: The Rainier Beer Motorcycle Commercial
Day 8: Great Teachers We Still Remember
Day 7: Finding the missing sock
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 9
My parents always had a shelf full of books that I don’t think anyone ever read. There were nature books and travel books and thick books of poetry that just didn’t have the worn look of the novels and biographies that lined other shelves.
But even though no one read them, that didn’t mean they weren’t used.
On the occasions I would take them off the shelf and thumb through them, I would often find a four-leaf clover pressed in wax paper between the pages. And I knew my dad had put them there.
He, like so many people, considered four-leaf clovers to be lucky. So, each time he found one, he kept it.
And now, every time I find a four-leaf clover, I am reminded of how lucky I was to have him as my dad.
And that always makes me smile.
Day 9: Four-Leaf Clovers
Day 8: Great teachers we still remember
Day 7: Finding the missing sock
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 8
Whenever someone uses the word “deduct,” I always think of Mr. Hoff. He once asked his class to use the following four words in a complete sentence: defeat; defense; detail; and deduct.
None of his students were able to put together a logical sentence, and Mr. Hoff gave an impish grin and said “Defeat of deduct go over defense before detail.”
My classmates and I may have groaned, but I’ll never forget that sentence or those words.
Mr. Hoff was my fifth grade teacher, who I recently wrote about in my Charleston Daily Mail blog. I was shocked when many of Mr. Hoff’s former students from Oregon started posting and commenting on the blog.
But I shouldn’t have surprised.
Mr. Hoff was an amazing teacher, and being reminded of a great teacher who made a difference always makes me smile.
Day 8: Great teachers we still remember
Day 7: Finding the missing sock
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 7
I am completely neurotic about misplacing things. When I can’t find my keys, the television remote or a hair brush, I immediately want anyone who is nearby to stop everything and help me search.
Needless to say, my husband and children don’t generally feel the same sense of urgency. Instead, they usually just feel annoyed.
That’s probably because I’m not the most organized person, so they get annoyed quite a bit.
But over the years, I’ve finally learned to accept that my efforts to find a missing sock are usually pointless.
Which is why I’m also incredibly excited when I actually find one.
Whether it has been clinging to a clean towel or hiding under the bed with the dust bunnies, matching that sock with its mate always makes me smile.
Day 7: Finding the missing sock
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 6
One of the benefits of being a parent is the excuse to read children’s books.
I adore children’s books.
I don’t just love the illustrations or the stories. I love everything about them: the way they feel in my hands, the rhythm of the words and most of all, the optimism they express.
I was picking out books before I was picking out clothes for my unborn son. And I treasured every moment helping both him and his sister discover the joy of books and reminding myself that’s how I discovered some of life’s most important lessons.
Leo the Late Bloomer was one my teachers.
I may not have shared Leo’s issues, but I certainly had my own timetable for learning to be comfortable in my own skin and accepting who I am.
But when I did, I blossomed.
Leo the Late Bloomer, like so many other children’s books, confirms that is absolutely nothing wrong with just being yourself.
And that always makes me smile.
Day 6: Children’s books that teach life-long lessons
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 5
I rarely allow myself to stop.
I’m always going.
I work. I ride my bike. I walk the dog. I write. I volunteer. I parent.
But every once in a while, a perfect moment takes my breath away, and I’m incapable of doing anything but simply standing in awe.
Those are the moments when I realize how limited my control really is, and I recognize that humans are only capable of doing so much.
Sometimes these moments are beautiful, and sometimes they are scary. But they are always amazing.
I’m fortunate to witness such miracles on a regular basis, and on occasion, I’m even lucky enough to capture them in a photograph.
And that always makes me smile.
Day 5: The Perfect Photo at the Perfect Moment
Day 4: Jumping in Puddles
Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill
Day 2: Old Photographs
Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 4
During my freshman year of college, an unexpected rainstorm hit the night before finals. 
While my fellow students and I crammed random bits of knowledge into our brains, the rain beat down.
When the rain passed, darkness had already arrived. But that didn’t stop us from taking a break from studying to enjoy what the storm had left in its wake: puddles.
Even in those days before cells phones and the internet, college students still managed to communicate with each other. That night, hundreds of us ran out of the dorms and the library to work off stress by jumping in puddles.
We splashed and screamed with the same joy we had when we were little children.
I like to believe that, even though we are all in our mid to late forties now, some of us still remember to do that from time to time.
Because jumping in puddles always makes me smile.
Day 4: Jumping in Puddles
Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill
Day 2: Old Photographs
Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 3
As a child, I was never been much of a risk taker.
For years, I didn’t jump off the high dive even though I knew how to swim. I didn’t skip school for fear of being caught. And always managed to avoid the roller coaster that went upside down.
But when I rode my bike, I was fearless. I could ride without my hands on the handlebars and believe I was the most courageous girl in the world. And when I rode down a steep hill with no brakes, I felt like nothing would ever stop me again.
I am a little more cautious these days, but I still love riding my bike down steep hills. But my joy doesn’t come from my ability to let go and be a little reckless. It comes from the fact that every steep hill I go down is one that I just struggled going up.
As in life, the tough times help us appreciate the easier ones, and realizing that always makes me smile.
Day 3: The Ride Downhill after the Struggle Uphill
Day 2: Old Photographs
Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
365 Reasons to Smile – Day 2
I’ve always been interested in history, and my own family history is no exception. Because of that, I’m grateful to have been trusted with old family photos.
From the tintypes to stiff cardboard photos to fragile albums that are falling apart, I treasure those photos and the secrets they hold.
If nothing else, they remind me how lucky I am to be a woman who can choose to wear shorts, or pants or a skirt. They remind me of modern conveniences. And they remind me that I owe my life to all the people who have come before me.
I’m carrying their DNA and carrying on their legacy.
And that’s why old photographs always give me a reason to smile.
Day 2: Old Photographs
Day 1: The Martians on Sesame Street
Just So You Know 