20 Little Smiles (and what inspired them)
A new series to (hopefully) help you find little smiles around *you*
At this point, you already know my feelings about toxic positivity. I like to be mindful about the good vibes I attempt to spread and—more importantly—about the expectations I have for other people to absorb them. Let’s be honest: being on the receiving end of those kinds of expectations is rarely helpful. In fact, it has a tendency to make you feel even worse, at least in my experience.
One thing that I’ve never found especially toxic, however, is stumbling across lists that others have curated and posted of the little things that have been making them happy lately. It was a trend I noticed regularly in my early blog-reading days and one that I brought to my own first blog. I love that it’s made the transition to social media, and if I’m feeling negative about Instagram, I’ll often post a list of random happy things there. It’s a nice reminder that spaces that can feel negative don’t have to.
In that spirit, please consider this the first installment in a new series: 20 Little Smiles.
These posts are a space for me to share the random things—big, small, and in between—that have been putting a smile on my face.
I’m not here to spread toxic positivity, so it’s certainly not my intention to turn a bad mood around for you by breaking down the recent rays of sunshine in my corner of the world—unless that’s what you’re looking for! My hope is that these lists bring you the little sparks of joy that they’ve always brought me… and maybe get your wheels turning about what might make your list, regardless of your overall vibe.
Please enjoy my 20 Little Smiles : )
1. Watching Will laugh at Irv (our golden retriever, for the newer friends out there!)
2. Strawberry Vanilla Olipop, as someone who has never liked soda or seltzer but has been on the hunt for new summer beverages
3. Editing my podcast again after months of maternity leave
4. Random inspirations that generate writing ideas (even if they’re maybe a little silly)
5. Books I’ve pre-ordered showing up at my door like a surprise gift from another version of myself
6. New episodes of Love Island (hello, Ariana as host!)
7. Choosing all the flowers for our front garden and planting them myself
8. A coffee date with a close friend who (very sadly) doesn’t live nearby
9. Listening to Will belly laugh while my sisters make funny faces at him
10. A really good Caesar salad with grilled shrimp (my go-to meal of this summer)
Currently Reading: The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
This was actually the first book I grabbed after Will was born in January, and while I typically don’t reread things (outside of books for my podcast), I figured I should refresh my memory in preparation for our SWR book club meeting later this month. I knew my brain was a little fuzzy in the first few weeks of the year, but based on my experience with The Sicilian Inheritance right now, I wonder if I had any powers of reading comprehension on that first go-around. I’m having so much fun with the book this time, though, and I’m excited to chat about it with book club friends next week.
11. Randomly deciding to go to a restaurant at a weird time like 2:30 p.m. and having the whole place to ourselves
12. That amazing feeling of going from hot weather into air conditioning
13. Showers right before bed, as a long-time morning gal
14. Getting into bed when it’s not totally dark outside because… sleep regressions
15. Binge watching old seasons of Sister Wives (perhaps a topic for a future Pop Culture Confession?)
16. Will grabbing at my bracelets, even if they sometimes break as a result
17. Ordering extra rainbow sprinkles on my ice cream
18. Switching up my workout routine with more strength classes on Peloton
19. Communicating with friends via voice memo
20. Brainstorming future family trips with Matt
I love all of these but especially #8...
But also re: #4—let's all embrace more silliness and silly inspiration in our lives!