Elizabeth Dutton - 1,047 Reasons to Smile: Little Things that Bring Joy, Happiness, and Excitement

Copyright 2011 by Elizabeth Dutton

New Materials 2015 by Elizabeth Dutton

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-405-8

ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-877-3

Printed in China

1,047

REASONS TO

T he world, I am sure you will agree, is a weird and wonderful place. There seems to be collectively more good than bad in society, otherwise we wouldnt all still be here. However, there are times when the insanity or the anguish or the confusion or the evil are just too much for the everyman (and everywoman) to bear. When this world and the other fragile humans that populate it overwhelm us, when life is painful or even simply boring, we need to be reminded of the weird and wonderful. The weird and wonderful are what make us smile, and those smiles keep us going. Smiles are pretty much universalno matter your language or culture, a smile at its core means friendship, happiness, and ease. What follows are reasons to smile, simple as that. The title quantifies the reasons, but within these pages are far more and far fewer than 1,047 reasons to slap a grin on your gorgeous mug; everyones smile mileage will vary. It is safe to say, though, that youll find something in here to put a smile on your face. And if not? Then maybe you can smile with satisfaction at having been impervious to these attempts. Whatever gets you there, the object here is to smile.

Kittens in boxes. Even those who are allergic to cats have to admit that a small, fluffy kitten playing, sleeping, or just sitting in a box is pretty cute. Why the box? The cute is concentrated then, contained in one little cute space. And focused cute deserves a smile.

Finding money in a pocket. You know how this goes: you put on a coat you havent worn in months, put your hand in the pocket and feel something there. This time, though, its not an old tissue or a receipt. Its cash. Beautiful, forgotten cash.

Wrong number calls from super polite old ladies. You answer the phone. Is Hegatha there? As your name isnt Hegatha, you tell the caller, No, I think you have the wrong number. Instead of a mumbled oh or just the click of the call disconnecting, the caller says in a frail, sweet, Ill-bake-you-some-cookies voice, Well, my goodness. I am so sorry to bother you! Have a pleasant day. And you will, because now you are smiling.

Baby animals. Tiny, adorable, not yet deadly or painfully ugly.

Baby animals wrestling. Tiny, adorable, tumbling around without a care in the world.

Baby animals driving muscle cars. Maybe a little unbelievable, but sort of funny to imagine, right?

Getting back into your own bed after being away from home. Travel for pleasure is great, travel for business... not so much. But one thing they have in common is that when the trip has ended and you are no longer sleeping in a strange bed (which youve tried not to imagine the look of under a black light) or a friends couch and you get to crawl back under your own covers, there is a certain bliss that (no matter how lumpy your own mattress may be) comes with knowing that you are home.

Dapper old men. Old men do dapper like no one else. Young guys just dont have the suave gravitas to pull it off. When an older gentleman dons a suit and hat to ride a train and graciously gives up his seat to a younger person (even though you know his bones ache and hed rather be wearing sweats and fleece slippers), you cant help but smile at the way he keeps it real. Real cool.

Seeing the person in the car next to you singing along with their radio at the top of their lungs. Everybody has that song they love that they cant help but sing along to. And some people get so overwhelmed with the awesomeness flooding their ears that they forget about the outside world and just belt it out. Thats a boundless, unrestrained happiness that for sure deserves a smile.

Inside jokes. We all have them with family or friends: a word or phrase that has a story too long to explain and is most likely one of those you had to be there moments, but that to this day can make you laugh.

When consumer advocate segments on the local news really skewer the bad guy and help the victim. There is such satisfaction in seeing the underdog win for once and seeing the evil, mustache-twirling bully get his or her comeuppance.

When you get in the car and your favorite song has just started on the radio. You LOVE this song. They never play it. It just started. Smile.

The look on Mike Myerss face when Kanye West said George W. Bush didnt care about black people. It was shock, it was confusion, it was fear, it was agreement. It was hilarious.

The Auto Correct feature on the iPad changes Awwwwww to Asses. This is funny and makes you smile when you catch it before you send out the response to the picture of your friends/cousins/neighbors baby. And maybe its still a little funny when you dont catch it before you hit send.

Imagining Keith Richards at a parent/teacher conference. We have all these rock stars who live wild lives and have raucous images. They also, though, usually have kids. Some arent too involved with their kids lives, but a surprising number are. Imagine Keith Richards at a parent/teacher conference or a recital and you cant help but smile at the dichotomy.