Did I Smile Today?

I am sad. A dear friend has passed away. I called her to confirm our date this week and it broke my heart to hear her son's voice tell me that his mother was no more. Then her Mother's sobs on the phone, mirroring mine. I am struggling to come to grips with the news, along with the news of another close friend's passing just a couple of weeks ago. I am trying hard to get on with my routine. Really hard. Because I've made commitments I must keep and because no matter what, life goes on.

I thought it would do me good to ask myself "Did you smile today?" for a change. My eyes are all cried out. I walked longer than usual today. I know life has to and will go on.

A little later, while browsing my Bloglovin' feed I saw my friend Janine's post "30 things that make me smile" and went right over.

Turned out to be a bloghop. A fabulous one!

Maybe just what I needed today. I picked the prompt "30 things that made you smile" Because I needed to.

And as usual, I couldn't stop at 30.

Here are more than 30 things that make me smile...in very random order.

1. My son and husband arguing discussing math problems. Love the sounds of their voices washing over me, around me.
2. The fragrance of freshly ground curry leaves and the anticipation of enjoying it with hot rice and ghee
3. Coffee. Enough said.
4. Curd rice. Comfort food. Add mango pickle and it is a direct route to heaven
5. Sury's jokes and puns. Hilarious
6. Conversations with my little "Friends" in the elementary school
7. Puppies playing. Which means dogs. Especially my friend's Rottweiler - who talks to me on the phone and even sings to me. Truth! She knows when I am on the phone and makes noises into the receiver for me!
8. Kites, parrots, mynahs and crows soaring in the sky followed by bats when I walk on my terrace in the evening
9. Hugs from family and friends when I least expect them.
10. An empty kitchen sink especially when I didn't do the washing up. Same goes for an empty laundry bin!
11. The aroma of baking in our home.
12. My pressure cooker - makes my life so easy and saves fuel
13. The sight of flowers on the ground filling the air with their fragrance
14. My flower lady's smile - and her concern over whether I've had something to eat and how much jasmine I'd like for my Mom
15. Memories of my Mom
16. Watching cartoons with my son - so feel-good, so cozy.
17. A letter informing me of a tax refund
18. The pigeons in my verandah. Yeah, I love-hate them. Can't deny they're fun to watch
19. The sound of my best friend's voice when she calls every week and the trip down memory lane and catching up
20. The thought of serving lunch at my local welfare home twice a month, talking to the girls there and singing with them
21. My son writing poetry or sketching for me to cheer me up
22. Having the soles of my feet tickled
23. Bitter gourd. Love it. Love the way my Mom made it
24. Memories of walks with my friends
25. Mangoes. It doesn't matter that they're now forbidden fruit.
26. My son singing, laughing. His kindness and gentle nature
27. Bus travel and overhearing random conversations that bliss me out
28. Elderly couples being thoughtful and kind to each other
29. My stash of books - my bookshelves at home and my digital library - enough to read for as long as I live, but never satisfied. I love my desperation to accumulate and read
30. The look on my son's face when I tell him what's for dinner
31. Kindness of strangers - an unexpected good turn
32. Hearing "I love you" from my family and friends
33. Writing checks for my favorite charities, love that time of year and the smiles I collect.
34. Traveling to places in India and discovering the beauty of my incredible country
35. My computer. Because it means connections and conversations. This includes my phone.
36. My teachers. I feel so lucky to have been in touch with them long after I left school
37. My work, writing, blogging.
38. Music - I have playlists in my head and when they're not playing on my system, they're playing in my head. Which accounts for my constant humming and playing song-tag with myself.
39. Online shopping. Because it is convenient and saves time.
40. My camera, because I love photography and enjoy capturing life
41. My photo albums. Great trip down memory lane
42. South Indian Thali. Love the menu.
43. The sight of a Mother cuddling her baby.
44. Connecting with an old friend I haven't heard from in a while.
45. A lovely note from WorldofMoms about my blog post there.
46. My box of earrings and junk jewelry - love the memories associated with each one.
47. My home - dust, mess and all. Because it is home. And I love it.
48. The fact that the hosts of the Friday Reflections blog hop both have the word "reflections" in their website urls.
49. Appreciation from a client
50. Sketching and painting
51. Seeing a normal reading on my blood sugar test strip
52. Freshly laundered bedsheets - bliss to lay on them
53. The fragrance of the mixture of soap and shampoo and after shave when my husband emerges from his bath
54. Finding a newspaper cutting of Simon Baker on my table, thoughtfully put there by my son/husband (oh this is not the pic, but it is one of my favorites of The Mentalist)
55. Which brings me to all police procedurals - Columbo, Monk - yes I got the box sets. Go ahead and judge me.
56. Hearing my folks yell from the other room like it was a matter of life and death to tell me my favorite song was on TV and running over to see the last scene fading away
57. Watching children talk to themselves, with actions
58. My favorite friends at my son's school offering me their snacks - one broken potato chip, so much love!
59. The sight of my altar after I light the lamp to pray first thing in the morning
60. Your comments.

Now - tell me what made you smile today?

You are never fully dressed until you're wearing a smile

I am joining Janine Ripper and Mackenzie Glanville for the Friday Reflections blog hop. Join us! Click the badge below for more details and for this week's prompts.

' Reflections' a fantastic, inspirational and reflective writer's Link-Up! Your hosts, Mackenzie and Janine, invite you to join us every for a cocktail, mocktail, or a good cup of tea to reflect on your week, thoughts, life, love and adventures from the reflective prompts we will provide you.

I am also joining Claudya at Unknown Mami for Sundays In My City - where we travel the world together via our blogs!

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