What Makes Me Smile?

By Linda Lovely

This month’s theme proved a delight. No research required. All I had to do was close my eyes and think. Thankfully my list appears to be very long. (I could have kept going, but decided I should stop before I bored you. I could have included lots more foods!)

Sure, the list of things that make me frown is lengthy, too. But I’m happy to report that on balance my smiles outnumber my frowns. Here’s a smile list (with some pictures) off the top of my head.  

• Kids—as in baby goats. Want to really laugh? Try goat yoga with a bunch of kids and nannies. 
• Any dessert with chocolate as a primary ingredient.
• A gas fireplace I can turn on with the flip of a switch when I’m chilled.
• My own klutziness, when it doesn’t land me in the hospital.
• Swimming and lazing in the lake right off my dock.
• Plump blueberries and tomatoes grown in our own backyard.
  
• The smell of cookies just out of the oven.
• An alarm clock that doesn’t need to be set.
• Leftovers I can pull from our freezer when I don’t want to cook.
• Reruns of favorite TV sitcoms from yesteryear—Cheers, Frasier, Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Lou Grant for starters.
• Authors who tickle my funny bone—Janet Evanovich, Carl Hiaasen, Susan Isaacs, Dave Barry, Cindy Sample, Robin Weaver…and dozens more.
• Flowers and bushes that bloom despite my criminal neglect.
• My husband, who invents creative, nonsense swearwords when things go awry and there are young’uns listening in.
• Critique partners who make me laugh at my own grammatical boo-boos. 
  

I'm happy for this reminder of all the little things that make life worth living.

THE JOY OF TRAP CAMS! by Sarah Raplee

         
  I love looking at photos and watching videos of unsuspecting wildlife caught on my day-and-night-vision trap camera. It was after watching my sister and brother-in-law’s videos of their visiting herd of deer in the high desert that we got inspired to try filming on our property. They know each doe, buck and fawn by name. He puts out corn for the animals during the winter when food is scarce. Ducks, quail, rabbits, foxes and the occasional dog or cat visit as well as the deer. Who knew their neighborhood on the edge of the city had such a diverse animal population?

Now my husband and I realize how much hiking into the woods up the hill to attach the camera to a new vantage point is worth the effort.

               Reward number one: watching the videos of deer and quail (who knew we had quail?) puts smiles on our faces!

               Reward number two: we learn there’s a whole nighttime community of animals living on our property that we were mostly unaware of until we began filming their activities. Watching them makes us feel closer to the land and to nature. We appreciate and pay more attention to our beautiful surroundings. We are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place!

               Reward number three: we have a tool to determine whether those big cat tracks by the barn were from a mountain lion or a bobcat—and whether or not the predator is still around. Same for the black bear that left scat at the back of the property last week.

               Reward number four: watching the videos is a mindful meditation. You forget everything else and live in the (recorded) moment. Very relaxing.

               Reward number five: we find out what our cat does outside at night. He’s a mouser extraordinaire!

               And lastly, we get some exercise moving the camera from place to place and retrieving the SIM card so we can watch the videos on our laptops.

               I highly recommend this hobby to anyone who wants to enjoy life and smile more often!

If you own a a trap camera (also known as a trail camera or wildlife camera), what is the most interesting photo or video you've captured?

JOYFUL PAINT???

By Diana McCollum

All month long authors have been blogging about things that make them smile. I must say all the things that make them smile, makes me smile too!

So I'm going to concentrate on what made me smile this week! I'm smiling right now thinking about the 'what'? It makes me happy and joyful.

This is the picture of our house. The faded paint had begun to chip here and there and it was starting to look sad.

The color along with the white garage door was so outdated.

Husband called the painting contractor and contract was drawn up and signed, new updated color picked out, six new matching outside lights bought, a new doorbell, new house numbers bought, and the work began!

Now, every time I pull into the driveway I have a smile on my face, and joy in my heart. All because of paint!!! 

What is something or someone who brought a smile to your face and joy to your heart this week?

My Different Smiles

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

When the Blog Queens were putting the 2018 topics and themes together, they were very clear they wanted April to be particularly uplifting, light and, if possible, funny. I will admit our April topic “What Always Brings A Smile to My Face or an Outright Laugh” has been bubbling in the back of my mind the entire month of March.

What I’m more aware of because of this topic is I have more than one smile:

My soft quiet smile I give to babies and puppies.

My broad smile I give to exuberant toddlers and puppies.

My knowing smile, usually accompanied by a slight nod of my head, when I see children and dogs being true to their nature.

My delighted smile when I see the first signs of Spring or perhaps the first snow. In my opinion, first snows are delightful even if they are deep because they transform the world around me into a fairy land.

My satisfied smile never fails to appear when I see my books on bookstore and library shelves, e-retailers sites and read reviews.

My excited smile is most evident when my friend, Lois, creates an amazing display at a book signing.

My gratitude smile? I’ve so many opportunities each day for this smile. Every morning I write out 10 things for which I’m grateful and at the end of the day I review and recount everything for which I’m grateful. A smile is always on my face as I do these tasks. And, on very good days, I’ve lots to be grateful for: phone calls and/or pictures of my great grands and phone or face-to-face time with friends. Those very good days most likely also include writing on a new book, editing a completed manuscript, reading one of my favorite authors. All examples of activities that feed my soul.

As I’ve moved through my life, what I’ve learned, what is true for me is the importance of smiling. Not pasting a fake smile on my face but to purposefully or mindfully fill my life with people, activities and things that always bring a smile to my face.

I’ve also ventured into non-fiction. Staying Sane in a Crazy World available at your favorite e-retailer. By following the simple process outlined in this book, you can create a life with more smiles!

Do you ever feel as if the world around you is tumbling out of control and there is nothing you can do to make your world a better place?

Do you ever wish there was?

Staying Sane in a Crazy World may help guide you toward stopping the tumbling and choosing how to take effective control of your life. The reality is there is no One answer that fits all but we each have Our answer.

In this short guide, Judith Ashley leads you through a straight-forward process that allows you to find Your answers. Answers you’ll use to craft a Personal Staying Sane Plan that will help you regain and keep your balance whenever the world around you is out-of-whack.

For your complimentary copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl, you need only sign up for my mailing list. I will not spam you and, you can always unsubscribe.

As an indie author, your support in the form of reviews is appreciated. Please note in your review that you received a free copy of Lily in exchange for an honest review. 

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2018 Judith Ashley

The Thing that Makes Everyone Smile

By Robin Weaver

What ”always” makes people smile? Muscles.

If you’ve read any of my blogs, I’m sure you aren’t the least surprised I didn’t say babies, kittens, pizza, or puppies—although those things do make my chipmunk cheeks do the happy squirrel dance.

I’m also sure you’ve heard the saying: It takes 43 muscles to frown and only17 to smile. That’s not exactly correct though.  Some researchers say 19 muscles are required for the Cheshire Cat imitation while others  insist it may take 26 muscles for that demur little smile.  Seems like the Brainaic Brigade should be able to figure it out, right?  I mean we understand anatomy, so why can’t the experts agree?

Problem is, people smile for a whole lot of reasons and each person does it differently. There are at least 19 different kinds of smile. Regardless of the specific grin-bearing-muscle count, all researches agree a genuine grin requires more exertion than the fake smile. All smiles require five sets of muscles to raise the upper lip and corners of the mouth, but the phony-baloney grin doesn’t activate the muscles that crinkle the outer eyes like the genuine smile. Thus, most of us can recognize a faker in a Miss America minute.

 What I find more fascinating than the HOW, is WHY our muscles behave the way they do when something tickles our fancy.  Most researches point to the monkeys—don’t they always? On a side note, don’t monkeys always make you smile? 😊

I digress.  Back to the monkey grin… Primates bear teeth when frightened or trapped. Or as an aggressive action to frighten and trap. Theorists say the human smile evolved for the same reason—to show submissiveness and communicate we’re not a treat. Those same know-it-alls, uh…I mean exports, say smiling also shows our social ranking. A.k.a. people on the low end of the power totem-pole smile more than the big bad boss.

Only I can’t buy that—not completely anyway. Infants who are blind from birth never see a smile, yet these children display the same variety of smiles as people with full vision.  Some suggest we even smile in the womb.  Wow, that’s something considering how icky it must be in there.  Anyway, studies also show that ten-month-old babies have a special “real” smile for mommy and give strangers a fake grin.

Science aside, keep smiling.  Bearing those teeth makes you feel better, decreases stress and can even make you live longer. According to one researcher, “smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate…cannot match.” (I know, I said “science aside” but doesn’t chocolate excuse my faux pax? More important, smiling makes people respond to you in positive ways. It comforts people and makes them feel good.

So for you writers out there, maybe we shouldn’t be perfecting our pitches for editors and agents. Maybe we should be perfecting our smiles. Add a smile to any human situation, and you make things better.

Till then, keep grinning.