5 Things To Smile About

I was feeling really down today, but a lot of people around me radiated a kind of warmness and joy that teases you in despite the dark clouds that hang above you. I reminded myself that moods are contagious, and you should always keep people that won't induce negativity as company. There's nothing worse than a Negative Nancy (or Natalie, or Niamh, or Norman or Nathan.. I don't know why Nancy gets picked on) so here are a couple of things that happen in life that you could smile about.

1) When you pull your curtains back and you see that it has snowed overnight:
As a kid in primary school, waking up at 6am was no problem if it was to listen to the radio (see that... Radio, not Facebook or Twitter!) and keep your ears open for your primary school's name to be called. And it's not much different now I'm 18. I doubt it's very much different for adults with full time occupations! Planning a completely different day ahead to welcome Jack Frost was, (and still is) the most exhilarating thing! It's spontaneous, and it keeps us on our toes: and whether we stay in with a hot drink or go out and embrace the snow, is up to us. And that goes for ANY type of weather! (Hear that sun? It'd be nice if you showed your face too... we like it!)

2) Discounts:
I complimented a lady on her maxi-dress yesterday evening and asked her if she'd been anywhere nice: she replied she hadn't, and that the sun was enough of an excuse to wear it (can you tell we live in England?). She proceeded on to tell me that she'd seen it in the Monsoon sale, with a £25 discount. BUT, as it scanned through, it came out even more cheaper. HOW GREAT IS THAT. I, not the benefitee of the sale, was ecstatic for her because those little perks are something great, aren't they?

3) The Stranger Smile:
In my Tumblr bio (you can take a peek here!), I write that I'm 'appreciative of the stranger smile'. I smile to strangers as much as I can. I grew up in a tiny village where everybody says hello to each other, and so I think I've developed an inability of fearing strangers, but trying to remove the stigma associated with them. "But stranger danger is a THING, Lol", I hear you say. I know, but weren't all your friends strangers once?
Try it - smiles are contagious. Smile right now. See if it makes you just that teeny bit happier. And if it doesn't, think about how silly you looked smiling to yourself. Weirdo.

4) Opportunities:
Hey kid, how cool is it that we have so much to choose from? You can wake up tomorrow and choose to be someone who is intellectually stimulating, or a movie-nerd, or an athlete, or a basket case (...sorry, that turned very "The Breakfast Club". Guess which one I am). You might think it weird or you may have just not grasped the concept of freedom or liberty as severe as I see it, but it's your life, and it may take a couple of weeks, months or years and a few pennies but you can do it. That's something to smile about. Solidifying your dreams. Cheesy, but who doesn't like cheese?

5) That time when you did that really awesome thing:
You've lived a couple years by now, (I'm guessing.. unless the children from "Baby Geniuses" are reading this. What's up Sly?) so you've got a collection of memories that make you smile. No doubt. You've got that time when that thing happened and you were like 'woah' and that time when that other thing happened that made you feel really anxious and crappy but now you're like 'hahhahah lmfao lol'. Y'know?! Those little things shouldn't be forgotten - try and squeeze them tight to embed them into that little noggin of yours, and save them for a day when the sun isn't shining so brightly, and your smile isn't as wide as it could be.

As you might be able to tell, this kind of progressed into something a little deeper than intended. But let's cut the stuffy, philosophical tension and list a couple of other things that might make you smile:

6) Jennifer Lawrence.
7) Junk food.
8) Trashy reality TV.
9) Alcohol (disclaimer: this may also make you cry. Side affects include headaches and sickness.)
10) Tumblr/Twitter
11) Photos!
12) PoorMichelle


...please feel free to add your own in the comments below! :)

L.

The Stranger Smile

I know the title is borderline creepy, but I hope it intrigues you too. See, this blog post is about you: as a person, as someone who emits their feelings into the world, and as someone who might seem insignificant, but in the light of things, in the telescopic tunnel of 'retrospect', has impacted more lives than you could ever imagine.

I recently started to think about people who have 'made my day'. A lot of these people I could put a name to: my nearest, my dearest, and ...well, a couple strangers to add to the mix.
I live in a small-knit community, and so even walking to the bus stop ensures me of a couple 'good morning's. And those minute gestures are important.

What I'm trying to say is that we're all in this rat race, and a couple kind words here and there are the final knots to a compliment. You don't have to be Angel Gabriel and carry messages of gold or go out of your way to compliment someone, but these social cues, these iconic gestures have developed in our world for one reason - to communicate, no?

This technological era has brought so many opportunities to branch out and communicate with people that are out of arm's reach. But it has also brought solitude and independence and isolation - not necessarily bad attributes, but ones that suffocate an open community.

It's almost like the dying art of whistling in public - the stranger smile is hidden underneath parallel-to-the-floor foreheads and tucked into the gap between your upper and lower front teeth.

Don't stranger grin though. Now THAT is creepy.

L.