Hi, Jo here doing a brief post at this time, when many Americans are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. It's a pleasant idea for us all to be thankful for blessings great and small, no matter where we live. I'm a believer in noticing things that make us smile day by day, because it's easy to begin to take them for granted. We might smile at a neighbour, the light reflecting on a window, a cute display in shop, a very satisfying cup of tea -- or some days we might enjoy a delightful surprise.
So please, share something that made you smile in the last 24 hours, ordinary or unexpected.
I'll share two things. (I wrote this on Tuesday evening.) One is my salt lamp. It's a cold day here for Devon and the night comes early and I switched it on for its warm, golden glow. They're supposed to give off negative ions, which are the good ones, and perhaps they do, but I love that glow.
The other pleasure is a book called Mrs. Hurst Dancing, which is a collection of pictures drawn in the early 19th century by a young lady showing the everyday life of a gentry family in the countryside. I pulled it off the shelf because I remembered it had an illustration of the family enjoying an electricy machine and I wanted to remind myself of how they were doing it.
You'll see that they're holding hands while a man fiddles with the machine. It says, "Henry Van electrifying Mrs. Van, Diana, Henry, and Isabella -- Mum and HGS." It doesn't matter about the full names, but I note that electrifying is already in use, and she calls her mother Mum, as many do today.
Then, of course, I spent a pleasant hour going through the pictures. There are days out, walking or riding -- and the ladies ride on donkeys, not horses; alarming moments when out in a carriage; and a rather precarious clearing of flies off a window.
"Mrs. Sperling murdering flies, assisted by her maid, who receives the dead and wounded." It doesn't say how they stayed up there!
You can find more pictures on the web, and the book is available, used at least.
So now, please share "a smile of the day", and if you're celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope it involves many smiles.
And always remember that the simple act of smiling sends makes us feel happier (it's true!), and creates happiness around us, so whatever's around you at the moment, smile. :)
Jo