Ever have one of those days where you feel like you’re struggling to keep your head above water? Well last week was one of those weeks, but thankfully I had something to smile about: talking to my Mom and Dad. I came to the realization that after every conversation with them, I’m usually smiling after, no matter how upset or angry I was before. They know how to pick me up when I’m down and how to the light the fire within.
I am blessed to say the least and have hundreds of things to smile about, so when I found out that Oct. 5th was National Smile Day, and got off the phone with my Mom, I immediately headed over to my computer to make a quick list of five things that makes me smile.
- This is super repetitive, but talking to my parents is one thing that calms me down when I am infuriated at myself for something or when I am lacking motivation. My relationship with my Mom and Dad has transformed over the years, similar to how an awkward caterpillar morphs into a beautiful butterfly. In high school I was unable to open up to them (for whatever strange reason) but when I jetted off across the country, we became incredibly close. I call them daily, on my walk back from Coles to Union Square and it really soothes my soul and makes me grin from ear to ear.
- Snapchat – If you have an iPhone, you should have this app. I am constantly snap chatting friends obnoxious selflies, but hey that’s what it’s for!
- Finally Understanding Something – I’m currently in Sports Accounting and was so frustrated last week when I was unable to figure out the homework. In class, all of the principles clicked and I was beaming with excitement. Maybe it’s the inner nerd in me, but there is just something awesome about making sense of a difficult concept.
- Quotes – My desk is covered in pink, purple, yellow and blue post-it’s with inspirational quotes to get me through the day and to remind me to persevere. I am a sucker (for lack of a better term) for a pieces of inspiration. Check out some of my favorites here!
- Last but certainly not least, looking at old photos and watching home videos are one of those things that just puts a smile on my face. I was perusing through Facebook and found photos that seemed like just yesterday but in reality they were from close to ten years ago. This whole growing up thing stinks – I don’t believe I agreed to this.