Kindness

Overheard

The man I walked by with a pink panther ringtone. Wonderful. Just simply wonderful.

                             Having every day is a reason to smile. 

Positive Spin-off

My university has a compliment page. It generally makes me smile. And I really appreciate that this person was able to take a positive spin off of what could have otherwise been a quite unpleasant experience.

There's usually an upside. 

Random Acts of Kindness

A Facebook post I saw today:

Someone made my day today. We were in Edmonton visiting family for thanksgiving, and on the way home we stopped at a sobeys. I was buying smarties so I found a bag and got in line at the checkout behind a lady. She looked back at me and I smiled at her. (Pretty normal for someone from a small town) and she smiled back. Then she looked at my bag of smarties and said, "is that all you have?" I answered in the affirmative and she replied by saying that it was so nice that I had smiled at her and how I was friendly and how people just don't do that anymore. Then she told me that she would buy my smarties for me. (I tried to give her money lol) but she insisted. Talk about random acts of kindness! Totally made my day!

                                            Can't go wrong with a smile on your face. 

Family and Fun Fusions

I don't get to go home for Thanksgiving weekend. It's ok. I get fake Thanksgiving next weekend. In the meantime, my parents and older brother were down today for my younger brother's baseball game. It was amazingly nice to see them. Smiled even as I was walking to school on a Saturday to study.

I even managed to enjoy studying a bit. Worked with one of my hilarious friends and at home I found some wonderful music. Can't go wrong with some Yo-Yo Ma and other extremely talented individuals. Impressive fusions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7EcT5YzKhQ

You might as well smile. 

Change the World

Hearing that a certain lady has beat cancer definitely made me smile. Everyone is not so lucky

A certain man, Jack Layton popped into my mind the other day--and 2 days before he lost his fight to cancer he was able to leave a beautiful legacy that while bittersweet makes me have hope and smile every time I read it.

I leave you now with my favourite parts of his parting words:

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

...

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

...

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change.

...

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Happiness

Sing at the top of your lungs. Why not? I can't sing. It's a good time anyway.

I got stuck in traffic the other day. Decided to just rock away in my car with my friend. Made me feel better in the midst of a not-fun situation. I think as long as I just decide to be not annoyed, then I will be not annoyed.

This is what I did at field school. It was a bit of a stressful situation some of the time--very hectic and with the same people constantly around you, there's a lot of scenarios where things could annoy you. But I survived--I just decided to be happy and it was so.

Choose to smile, choose happiness, choose a good life.


                                                                   Remember, smiles are contagious. 

Politeness and Potatoes

I held a door open for an elderly woman the other day. She gave me the biggest smile. So of course I also had to smile. Manners matter evidently. Which we all knew already if we listened to our parents growing up at all. My listening abilities are quite poor. But look, I'm still learning!

I was reminded of another well-known fact this evening. Family is wonderful. My aunt and uncle fed my brother and I this evening. The good news is that my stomach has now returned to normal expanding capacity. Must prep for the Thanksgiving Thirty, you know (like the Freshmen Fifteen but better). They're really nice people and there's nothing like having a full belly and feeling content without all the work beforehand. I brought the peanut butter cookies of which the second batch turned out so I consider that a minor success.

Finally. One night where an hour after supper my little brother won't complain that he is hungry once more.

Also my aunt make the most delicious twice-baked potatoes. I really like potatoes. It would be a problem except for it's not. Because I have no shame in eating copious amounts of complex carbohydrates.

                                                             Stay beautiful, keep smiling. 

Smiles From the Start

Every once in a while, you just have a really good day. And today was actually one of those days. I know you thought I was going to say it wasn't. But it was.

From making new friends to hilarious happenings where my roommate and I accidentally dressed the same today to getting excited about life, to managing to have fun during a lab, to my friend loving her birthday gift,

there were many reasons to smile today.

The perfect end to my school day: having the most friendly bus driver ever. He was great and a perfect example of how being positive can make the world a better place.

On forth to making peanut butter cookies! And I'm going to be positive. I won't forget these ones in the oven like those apples.

                                                               

Remember, smiles are contagious.