First Guest Post – Things That Make Us Smile :)

Hey guys!

My name’s Laura Lea (first name…no hidin’ these Southern roots!) and I blog/live healthily over at Beanie Bumbles.

A few months ago by the grace of serendipity, the gorgeous Eva stumbled upon my blog. Turns out, she went to high school with my BEST FRIEND Frances!

Small healthy living world! We instantly hit it off—this lady is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I’ve encountered in a long time, and I’m so thankful we’ve become friends!

Eva and I decided I would be fun to post about Things that Make Us Smile, and I love how this “assignment” has reminded me of the small treasures in our daily lives Don’t forget to check out her GUEST POST on Beanie Bumbles!

If living in NYC has taught me anything, it’s that life isn’t fair, and you can’t always control what happens.

[Source]

You can hold doors for the elderly, stay that extra hour at the office, let people know when a twenty slips out of their wallet.

You can be the kinda girl who makes her way home after dates…alone. Not the kinda girl who parties till 3 am; who wakes up with crusty-pizza-sauce-clothes and a throbbing temple.

[perhaps she described that too accurately, you think… ]

You can attest “YES” to all of the above and more, and life will still throw grenades at you. Life will still keep Mr. “Right” exhaustingly at bay.

I have gleaned from this—other than life can be a strumpet far worse than those you’ll run into at 3 am—the importance of appreciating the small things, the little victories, the stuff that goes right every single day. They’re always there, but often we’re too hard-nosed, too focused on the bad or what could be better, to notice them.

Even when the big picture is precarious or downright gruesome, I have conviction in life’s overall beauty and worth when I focus on these small blessings.

Here are a few gloriously mundane things that never fail to put a smile on my face and boost my mood:

• Stumbling upon an OMG-out-loud recipe…and realizing I have all the ingredients in my pantry to make it!
• Bad weather predictions that totally miss the mark—bring on the sun!
• Plain vanilla cones on a shimmery-hot summer day

• The chapter when your ok book becomes a page-turner.
• Getting together with a close girlfriend…and knowing she’s just as excited to see me!
• Trader Joe’s New Products Section—always something; always fabulous.
• Every.last.bite of a GOOD apple. Nothing but a waifish core left behind

• Walking into my apartment at the end of the day with my To-Do list accomplished.
• Denim clothing. Neon clothing.

• Comments on my posts. Sharing thoughts with members of the HL community keeps me at it every day!
• Starting to make my bed on a Sunday morning. Aaanndd then stopping .
• Dessert. I’m not too picky but chocolate takes the…oh and yes, CAKE.

• Sharing a recipe I’ve created with someone, and seeing that they truly enjoy it.

And the simplest, but most heart-warming, grin-inducing of all:

• An unexpected text from my mom or dad. No matter the time, no matter the content.

A humongous thanks to Eva for allowing me hijack her incredible blog for a day!

Both Committed 2 Nutrition and its creator are really something special, and I’m truly honored to have left a small footprint here!

What small, everyday things make you smile?!