Everyday Things That Make Us Smile

What are the everyday things that make you smile? For me, it is a walk on the beach and feeling the wind on my face, or seeing kookaburras proudly sitting on a branch after waking everyone at 4.00am, a new tomato on my bush, a person’s enthusiastic greeting or smile, an old man who bends to pick up rubbish along our street feeling proud about the difference he is making or seeing a young person excited about thinking. The list goes on. There are so many simple things in life to smile about and to appreciate. This list also includes the small and the not so small things that colleagues, friends and family do that can easily be taken for granted. Maybe it’s the tidy person, who keeps things in good order without you noticing or maybe it’s the chaotic person who brings mess but also energy and life into your everyday.

As Christmas comes, it is easy for these small things to be lost in the flurry of getting ready for the holidays and the desire for grandness in our celebrations and gifts. Is there a way to build an appreciation of simplicity into our Christmas? I am going to give it a go this Christmas. One thing we can all do is to take time to pause, be still and smile that a loving God was born in simple surrounds just for you and me. We can find that moment of deep inner peace that brings joy in the ebbs and flow of our daily life.