Well hello again!
I hope you enjoyed my first Blog – Life Is Short, Buy The Shoes!
Hopefully you took some advice and made a decision to enjoy the small moments in each day!
Also a big THANK YOU!!
To everyone who visited my website, read the blog and sent me messages. I have been so overwhelmed by your support and encouragement!
Ok, let me ask you this question:
What Makes You Smile?
I asked my kids this question on the way to school this morning. Their responses made me smile. My eldest said other people smiling make him smile. My daughter said her iPad makes her smile and my youngest son said – You mum, you make me smile! Oh my heart.
My kids make me smile!
As I sit writing this, I am making a conscious effort to smile at the same time. I have been told many times that I am always so serious looking. Now I don’t mean to be serious all the time. I am by nature a focused person but I am always (well nearly always) smiling on the inside.
But you see there is a problem with that because no one sees my insides and smiles were not meant for our insides!
At my kid’s school there is a lady who smiles all the time. Every time I see her walk past at the school crossing she is smiling. And not a fake awkward smile but a beautiful, big, happy natural smile – she’s a smiler! Seeing her smile, makes me smile!
Hmmm….I wonder what makes her smile.
So before we continue any further ……….pause for a moment, take a deep breath and SMILE!!
Not a shy closed mouth, half-hearted kind of smile either!
I want you to flash a big happy cheesy grin if you please!
Believe it or not, we have so much to be thankful for and to smile about. Yet we often get so caught up in our day to day life that we go through a whole day without even smiling once.
My daughter pulled me up on this the other day. I was giving some instruction to my kids when she looked at me and asked why I was so grumpy?
I stopped and looked at her and said “I am not grumpy?” and her response was “Well you sound grumpy and you are not smiling, why don’t you smile?”
Even though I wasn’t grumpy, I had my signature serious look on my face with no smile – so of course anything I say was going to come across grumpy.
So I decided to change my posture in that moment. I put a sincere smile on my face and then asked the same request of my daughter and her response was completely different this time round. She said “ok Mum” and off she went and did what I had asked her to do!
Clearly, I really should smile more!
Again friends…What Make You Smile?
Perhaps this is an easy answer for many: family, friends, chocolate, coffee and more chocolate!
Yet maybe, for others it is a little more challenging because life is not giving you too many reasons to smile.
Can I encourage you to start by smiling purely because you have air in your lungs? Smile because the sun will always come up tomorrow; smile because there is hope even if you think it’s hopeless. Smile, because even if you don’t realise it, you are loved, you are valuable and you are so very precious!
So what makes me smile?
Well….my husband (he is amazing & hilarious!) and my kids definitely make me smile! My family and friends, chocolate, fine china tea cups, walking through Paris, more chocolate, walking in the sun, riding my bike (Betty is her name, I will introduce you to her one day soon!), did I say chocolate already?
But when I am having a really tough day, you know what makes me smile?
Roses…yep, roses make me smile!
You know the saying, take time to stop and smell the roses…..well I do!
If I am feeling stressed, if I am feeling sad, if I am feeling overwhelmed then I go to my rose garden.
I stop, I touch and I smell the roses and every time it makes me smile!
Even on the darkest gloomiest day, roses still make me smile!
So today’s encouragement is to smile!
Smiling is good for our physical & emotional health and smiles are contagious to others.
Take time in your day to smile just because, smile at a stranger, smile at your spouse, smile at your kids, smile at yourself in the mirror and smile when you see a rose!
Till next time, keep smiling
Natt xx
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5 Comments. Leave new
Good blogs Natt, you make ME smile 😊 The problem with us focussed folk really is that we look stern and serious a lot of the time…..guess Botox would help with the frown lines…..but it won’t add the smile. Keeping life real and not taking yourself too seriously takes a lot of practice, but there is nearly always something in any situation that you can find funny, even if it’s only laughing at yourself, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” is a good thing to keep telling yourself on those days when there doesn’t seem much to smile about…..trust me, it makes a huge difference . Love your work, you have always had a wise head on those young shoulders, and you are a blessing to many ❤️ Sharon
Beautiful Nat. Love reading your blog.
Encouraging words Natt. I like the way you say it. BTW i enjoyed your message the other Sunday morning 😊 x
Beautiful blog Nat. Thanks for taking the time to encourage us all. Well done.
Natt, well done, great blog. Yes, I agree we should smile more and laugh more, we all take things in life to serious.
What makes me smile? Well just to start Natt –
Waking up each morning, to hear birds chirping, singing, a vibrant sunrise, a walk along the ridge over looking Wodonga. A stroll around Norieul, my grandchildren’ sayings and especially when they run and give me a huge hug and kiss, picnics in parks and gardens , friends , gardening and seeing something bloom and Blossom that I have planted, family who love me unconditionally, flowers . 🌺 🌹, seeing and watching the sunsets, TRAVEL to all parts of the world and seeing learning about cultures. Waterfalls, the big open blue seas and blue skies, remembering my joy of a lifetime Rateeka who gave so much, cooking a cake, dinner that I get complemented on. My children’s gratitude. Jewellery, yes I know it’s material things but yes, jewellery , looking at people’s artwork as it tells the story of the soul. Nice clothes to make me feel good look good for my shape and getting complemented on it. Feeling loved and respected, achieving and assisting others. 🎾 Tennis days make me smile especially when I play well.
A stroll along a sandy beach looking and finding great shells. Hiking, bush walking and being adventurous. Friends who greet me with a smile😀😀💐🌺, oh I could keep going . Thank YOU Natt it made me stop and think LIFE is the biggest SMILE. 😀 ❤️ For JESUS.