Smile Six Times

I did something very much like this once before. I referred to it as Part One, so let’s think of this as Part Two. When I came upon this sweet little meme posted by Hula Seventy I knew I needed to revisit the idea again:

Six That Are Smile Worthy

1. Minneolas or Tangelos or Honeybelles - These dazzlingly delicious citrus fruits are a blessed burst of sunshine on cold winter days. Buy the ones which feel heavy, have vibrant orange skins and, this is important, have the most distinctive bulbous “noses”. If they are nearly spherical and could pass for an orange, keep looking.

2. Snowshoeing - especially in sunshine on a crisp, cold winter day when the ground is covered with layers of snow. The chickadees call, the squirrels race and chatter across winter bare branches and the busy paths of all sorts of animals crisscross the woods - our one seasonal glimpse into their daily habits.

3. Down Quilts - big, poofy, lush, decadently comforting comforters to crawl under, straight from shedding layers of clothing, leaving only a cold nose peeking out to appreciate the sharp contrast.

4. Laughter - out of silliness, out of intellectual nimbleness, out of pain - it’s all good, all very good actually and allows me to keep my sanity. And I think helps those around me preserve theirs. (If you’re following closely, you know this was mirror close to number five from last time, but that’s O.K.!)

5. Customer Service - genuine, old fashioned, well intentioned, go that extra mile to get things sorted out and put to rights for the customer - service.

6. Blank Notebooks - lined, unlined doesn’t matter. It’s the blank page waiting for it all to come pouring out, crashing down, sketching up, doodling away - nearly dizzy with possibilities and then it happens. Pen touches paper; the connection is made; there’s no turning back.

7. Chuck - I said six. I wrote six. But there is always Chuck and he is always smile worthy! Even when I am ever so cross and ready to dope slap up him up the back of the head in frustration, he turns his head to afford me better aim and I am lost!