Smile

I have always been a big supporter of smiling and smiling often. Sometimes, though, reality gets in the way and we let difficulty or sadness or misfortune get in the way of smiling as often as we should. It's amazing how finding just one small thing even on the toughest of days to smile about can have a massive effect on your soul. I been making a big point of smiling more and finding the happiness in as much as I can. I am trying not to dwell on little things, trying not to let things get me down, trying to see the beauty in things I would walk past before, making of point of giving OTHER people a reason to smile every day. If I can do one thing for a stranger or other person every day to make them smile, I will have accomplished a new goal. Be it helping a neighbor dig out their car, helping someone with a lot in their hands, telling someone they look nice. I have caught myself doing this unconsciously lately and the ability to make someone else smile has been having a profound effect on me. I don't know if it's the new year or the cumulative effect of a very intense past year but I have felt more positive and happy lately then in a while. I have made myself stop complaining about the cold as much and embracing it. I am saying hello to strangers more and telling my friends I love them more. I am seeing the good in many more things. I am appreciating what I have and relishing the good things in my life. I am enjoying solidarity at times and internal peace. I am pushing out the negative and finding the positive. I am smiling.

I'm not sure what it is...being home for a while, being on a new work account, having a new year to reflect on the past year and realize all that it has meant to me, looking around me at all the beauty I'm surrounded in. Whatever it is, I like it and plan on keeping it going.

Find a reason to smile every day.

Out with the old, in with the new

It is 2010, hard to believe. I don't even know where this past year went but it surely went quickly. Looking back and reflecting on 2009, my mind spins. It was an overflowing year. A year filled with challenges and victories, tragedies and comedies, sickness and health, love and loss. It was a year many things were put into perspective, many lessons learned, many emotions felt. It is also a year where I spent more of it traveling than not which was a whole secondary world and life.

Some highlights of 2009:
- My mother surviving and progressing every day
- Healthy beautiful babies of the Smith's and Kouri's
- Engagements and weddings of some dear friends
- My oldest sister, Alli, getting hitched and celebrating in Mexico
- Surprising my sis, Colleen, for her birthday
- Completing my first half marathon
- My promotion
- Madz my crazy cat I saved
- Getting to visit some amazing parts of the US and see old friends
- Winning a big award for a work account
- Falling back in love with snowboarding
- Mittens and chairlifts
- Seattle
- Making some great new friends
- Amazing ladies in my life

Now it is a new year, a new beginning, a refresh. Sometimes I think it's funny how we look at the turning of a new year as a fresh start...like we are only compelled to institute change on January 1st instead of immediately upon seeing a need for change. I guess sometimes we just need an impetus. Anywho.

Looking ahead at 2010 I have some goals in mind, some things I want to accomplish, things I want to work on, people I want to see. I am not sure if I'm going to make any actual resolutions...I think are a little overrated and I want to set goals all year, not just one day for the whole year. One thing that I do "resolve" to do though is making sure that I tell people how much they mean to me often. If 2009 taught me anything it's to say what you mean and mean what you say, and be sure people know you care about them, and not be afraid to tell new people your feelings towards them. You just never know.

To all my friends and family reading this, I love you all. Happy New Year! May 2010 be full of luck, laughter, love and life.