Do you ever have one of those days where nothing seems to be going right? Where you feel discouraged and frustrated with all the things you’re not doing and not getting done? Where you seem to say and do all the wrong things? I venture to say we have all had those days, even some that stretch into weeks or months.
I seem to have been in one of those little “funks” lately – struggling to keep up with everything on my plate (and yet somehow I still haven’t learned to say “no” to anything) and wondering how I could pull myself out of the downward spiral I felt like I was in some days.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I have a great life. I have a wonderful family and friends, all the necessities of life and then some, a job that I enjoy and that brings me a lot of satisfaction, and so much more. But sometimes I think I get so caught up in the “big picture” that I don’t stop and look at what’s right around me – the simple, common, everyday things that make me smile.
I stumbled on a saying that read, “If the simple things in life don’t put a smile on your face, then you will never truly be happy,” and it got me thinking about some of those little things I take for granted every day.
When our Progressive Forage editor asked me if I’d contribute an article for the magazine again this year, she showed me the photo she intended to use for the cover and asked me to write about my take on its message. I don’t know if your first reaction was the same as mine when you saw it, but immediately it brought a genuine smile to my face.
And then I set the thought aside and didn’t do much with it for a while.
I pondered where I wanted to go with the article for a couple of weeks and then started with a rough sketch of what potentially could have been some wise words about the connection between generations and how they can influence each other.
But the more I wrote, the less it felt “right” – it wasn’t really where my thoughts went the first time I saw it, so I knew I needed to start again. And I went back to thinking about those “simple” blessings that surround us, if we will just take time to notice and appreciate them.
I was also doing some research for another project I’ve been working on and came across the quote from Paulo Coelho printed above. There was my article. There was the message. A kind and gentle father or grandfather holding this child’s hand wasn’t about some deep philosophical lesson, at least not this time, for me.
It was about the pure joy I experienced as I thought about holding the tiny hand of one of my own children or imagining the trust and love between the two people pictured on the cover. It was hearing the laughter of a child as he took a walk, chattering as he went, and thinking of them sharing a memorable experience together.
Starting that day, I determined to look beyond my discouragement, stress and worry and instead try to really focus on some of those everyday occurrences that make me smile. I drove home and smelled a field of freshly cut alfalfa, saw a beautiful sunset and had a purring kitten greet me when I walked through the door.
I slipped off my shoes, took a warm shower, enjoyed a favorite television program with my family and then snuggled down to sleep in freshly laundered sheets with a cozy blanket on top. And I woke up the next morning to a new day where I tried to be more aware of all the extraordinary things around me.
It was almost a magical experience. The other things didn’t go away, but my attitude changed about them. I could choose to be happy and put a smile on my face. I could choose to be grateful for and notice the little things. As Laura Ingalls Wilder once said, “I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
So I started making a list; I actually wrote them down. When I was looking for them, they were so easy to find. My list just that morning included: the sound of rain on the roof, leaves changing colors, a memorable song on the radio, a brownie with walnuts (don’t judge me for eating chocolate that early in the day), the smell of my favorite hand lotion and an empty sink with no dirty dishes. And then I had a “flash of inspiration” about how to finish this article.
I took to social media and posed a question to my friends, “Can you please share some of your ‘simple things’ that bring a smile to your face and help bring some happiness into your life?” The responses I got were amazing and profound; I smiled reading every one of them.
I found myself nodding in agreement and realizing how blessed I truly am and how little some of the other “stuff” I was worrying so much about mattered.
I don’t have space to share all of their answers here (although I wish I could), but I will share a few, with the hope that you might have an experience similar to mine. I hope they bring a smile to your face.
- When my kids say they love me
- The smell of baking in my kitchen
- Baby smiles and baby laughter
- Alone, quiet time after all the kids are in bed
- The warmth of the sun on a cold morning
- The smell of a campfire
- Matching socks
- A full moon
- Children eating candy
- Hot water to wash the dishes
- A simple thank you
- The first snow on the mountain
- Perfectly ripe fruit
- Handmade cards
- A picture of a grandbaby smiling
- Deer right outside the door
- Holding hands with a child or spouse
- Birds in the backyard
- Roses and chocolate
- The sound of elementary school kids playing
- Double rainbows
- Frost on the ground
- Music that brings back memories of Mom
- The smell of new books
- The “pop” sound when the lid seals on a canning jar
- A hug from a child
- A stranger opening the door
- Garden-fresh tomatoes
- Good health
- Kids jumping in mud puddles
- Popcorn and a good book
- The rustle of leaves under your feet
- Beautiful cloud formations and colors in the sky
- Water running in a stream
- Laundry flapping on the line
- A little voice saying “Grandma”
- Dancing in the living room to big band music
- Brushing my teeth
- Comfortable shoes
- Kool-aid mustaches
- Uncontrollable laughter
- Driving through the mountains
- The smell of fresh flowers
I hope you take the time to make your own list and then share it with someone else. Above all, I hope that you wisely come to appreciate how extraordinary your life really is. 
-
Lynn Olson
- Writer
- Progressive Forage
- Email Lynn Olson
