The Smile Pile

[Celestial]

<3 Kitty! And the day before, rat! <3 And then duckies!

I love this thread more and more. You constantly tell wonderful stories and post lovely pictures which are certainly enougth to make my day. Thank you, Sarnlove!

[Yuka]

This thread is so beautiful... thanks for sharing. <3

[Deleted]

The Beauty of the Seasons
19th of December, 2010



The four seasons are a most marvelous and wonderful thing to behold. Only on our little planet will the same seasons be found. Only because of the tilt in the Earth's axis can we see leaves falling in Autumn as our flora adapts to the coming cold, or the scorching touch of summer when all the world seems dry. Ask anyone and they'll tell you they've got a favorite season, but in truth there are wonderful things to be had in every season no matter where you are.

Spring, the time for new life to burst forth from the barrenness of Winter. When all the world seems dead, suddenly one day there's a fresh green shoot. And after that a few more. The next day the entire world flourishes with flowers and bees and baby birds and animals, all emerging from their Winter's hardship into the bounty that is Spring.

Summer, when the world gets hot and the wealth f Spring starts to fade into a new kind of beauty. Golden fields and harvests of many crops and lemonade on those stinking hot days where you can enjoy the sun, spend time relaxing and get six loads of washing dry in a day. (Yes, I have housework to do. xD)

Autumn, or what you Americans call Fall. When everything is slowly dying and the world transforms into brilliant shades of red and orange and gold. When the wind rustles the trees and carries their shed leaves to rest on the ground where our feet step on them, and make a wonderful crunching sound.

Winter, when the world seems to die, but with the knowledge that nature's sacrifice will be repaid in double when the time comes. When we can enjoy the warmth of a fireside. Where we can snuggle down and watch snow falling, or play outside in it's beautiful flakes. When we can listen to the patter of rain on our roof with the knowledge that we are safe and warm and dry.

Our world is a marvelous place to behold. Even when it seems there is none to be had, everywhere you look, you can find beauty and wonder. You just have to open your eyes to see it.

[Deleted]

My apologies for not posting yesterday. The internet here isn't all that great most of the time.

Pajama Day
21st of December, 2010

Every once in a blue moon you get a day you thought was going to be just like any other, and then it turns out to be totally different. Your boss rings and tells you you're not needed at work, or someone is sick and cancels an appointment with you. And suddenly, your busy day becomes largely free.

So now you begin wondering what to do with yourself. You get out of bed and wonder why, because you don't need to get out of bed. You're a little lost as to what to do, but you feel something needs to be done to celebrate this rare occurrence. If you can't stay in bed, than you can most certainly bring your bed with you. Sorta.

Eating breakfast, playing games, baking, drawing, writing, reading, relaxing, playing with pets and all other wonderful free day activities can all be done from the comfort of your stinky PJs, night dress, boxers or whatever else you wear to bed. If you're one of those who wears your birthday suit, you can enjoy this day as well by putting on your most rarely worn and scummy, paint stained, hole filled clothes that you would never dream of wearing in public.

And why?

Well, isn't it obvious?

Because you can.

[Deleted]

Note: There might not be Smiles from me on the 24th - 26th. It all depends on how busy I am with family things, but I will make an effort to post something. ^^

The Lion and the Lamb
22nd of December, 2010

If you haven't heard of the proverb of the Lion and the Lamb, you were probably born in a cave. It is a theme that runs through the Bible as well as many great novels, artworks and other media, but it has also been seen in nature, too, though it's slightly different there.

In December of 2001, rangers at Samburu Game Reserve in central Kenya came upon a strange sight. A fully grown lioness appeared to have adopted an oryx calf. Apparently the lioness had stumbled upon the calf and his mother, the latter of whom fled. But instead of attacking the helpless oryx, the lioness adopted him and began protecting him from numerous other predators including a leopard. The lioness even let the calf's mother close to feed him, but would then scare her off again.



This is either warped nature, or a new wonder of the natural world. Since then, the lioness adopted other calves and cared for them for a time before disappearing and returning again to do it all over again. Regardless of whether or not it was maternal instinct, it's still a new proverb. The Lioness and the Oryx.

[Deleted]

Most of you will have very little idea how hard it is for me t post this right now, so you'll have to excuse me if it's not very good.

The Little Things
23rd of December, 2010

Have you ever had a day that was a stream of good things, and then gotten one bad bit of news, or one thing goes wrong, and suddenly everything does? Everything is ruined and wrong and you feel miserable. We've all had those days, sometimes maybe it's the story of your life, but I personally have learned that 90% of my problems and the way I feel is in my own head. It's called self pity.

We all give in to it at some point, and it makes us feel even worse. When I felt constant pain in my left arm I hardly ever told anyone, because it was easier to ignore the pain. The moment I told someone and garnered pity from the was the moment I allowed myself to fall into self pity, and my arm would inevitably feel worse. And it's not just me. This is a tested psychological occurrence.

Whether others cause it through their pity, or whether we let it creep in ourselves, self pity is an unhealthy mindset, but there are ways to fight it ... by appreciating the small things.

You see, the reason your day suddenly goes all wrong is not because good things stopped happening, it's because you and I stopped recognizing them. This isn't that "power of positive thinking" crap you get from motivational speakers, and it certainly won't be easy, but I've done it and my problem is manic depression, otherwise known as bipolarity. For those of you who don't know, it's an imbalance of neuro-transmitters that causes me to have "up" periods of happiness, and "down" periods of depression. I have no more control over my brain chemistry than an epileptic person has over their seizures, and yet I have made myself feel better during these down times by doing exactly what I'm telling you.

Your "small things" will be different to mine. For me it's the Bible, prayer, a cup of tea, a hug, a ray of sunshine on my back, a roaring fireplace or a snugly animal. It could be anything. Whatever you enjoy when you're feeling fine is what you should focus on enjoying when you're down. Say you, like me, adore a good cup of tea. Make yourself one and sit down quietly and comfortably. Sip your tea slowly and savour every taste and sensation it presents to you. The warmth of the mug in your hands, the steamy aroma filtering up to your nose, the soft taste in your mouth. Let it all wash over you, focus your mind on it and forget everything else. When you're sad, as when you're happy, live in each moment alone, without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

Maybe it's a warm place to sit, so focus on the feeling of your clothing on your skin, the smell of warmth and, if you're lucky, the crackle of a fire. Whatever your little things may be, force yourself to take time to enjoy them, not just when you're feeling down, but as often as you can. You might just find your day of bad things is full of good things after all.

[Deleted]

Victim or Survivor
24th of December, 2010

There are two main types of people in this particular area. The first, victims, are characterized by inherent self pity and emotional leeching. They will tell the world just how hard their life is, they will seek sympathy and drive people away with their negativity. That's not to say that they are bad people, most are just going through a really rough time, but they let their bad experiences get the better of them. I was once a victim until I realized there was another way to be.

Survivors are those who realize the futility of self pity and being miserable. They're the ones who look to each new day for something better, who refuse to be defeated. They fight, they carry on, and they are an inspiration to all of us. I know an elderly woman from my church whose life has been so very hard. She has been through just about every hardship you could ever imagine, from abusive relationships to illness, betrayal, deaths in the family and many more besides, and yet the only thing you will hear from her is what she's looking forward to, and how great things are. She's not in denial and she's not an idealist. It's simply that she focuses on what is good in her life instead of what is bad. She uses her experiences to learn and help others.

Even those who're not Christians can appreciate the value of James' words when he says to "count it all joy ... when you face trails of every kind ... [it] produces steadfastness." You have a choice. You can be a victim and think negatively, or you can be a survivor and use your experiences to make you stronger, to give you empathy and to teach you the value of the good things in life.

It's up to you.

[Alyssa]

The Awesome Things


This post sort of goes along with Sarn's post about the Little Things.

There's a blog called "1000 Awesome Things"
A man named Neil Pasricha posts one awesome thing for every weekday, till he reaches (if you haven't already guessed) 1000 awesome things.

The wonderful thing about this blog is that these awesome things are not big, extravagant things like winning the lottery or being the best.

These awesome things are the little moments in life that are often overlooked, the ones that can make you smile despite whatever life has thrown at you.

Slow down a bit this week, take the time to notice the little things.
I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised at just how many awesome things are scattered throughout your life.

1000 Awesome Things

[Deleted]

Cartoons
25th of December, 2010 - CHRISTMAS!

I was watching the telly with my younger brother this morning and enjoying the old cartoons they play every single Christmas day, and have done for the last ten years or so. I think very few of us truly grow out of cartoons, because they remind us of days long gone when we watched them for the first time. They breath a little echo of our childhood into our adult lives and make us feel old. xD

And the great thing about them is, they're always being made. New shows, new things to enjoy. I love having Jamie, because I can take him to the children's movies without looking silly, when in truth it's mostly me who wants to watch them.

Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder ... Barney? I confess to these. What did you watch when you were young?

[Deleted]

Sleep
26th of December, 2010

This'll be a short one. Sleep, or even just rest, is a blessed thing. When our bodies get tired, we can lie down somewhere comfy, close our eyes and drift off into that blissful state. Dreams and fuzzy feelings and waking up with scum in your eyes and a drowsy brain are all great contributers to the amazing state of sleep.

[Deleted]

The Fluffy Side
27th of December, 2010

Or the Scaly Side. Or even the Hairless Side. Let's just call it the Pet Side. Most people will have had a pet at some stage in their life, and if you haven't, you've probably visited someone who has. Pets aren't just toys for our amusement, they're members of our family, they're friends with our friends. They get into fights with their siblings, they snuggle up when it's cold, they beg for treats from their parents. They have a personality all their own and they share in everything we do.

It doesn't matter what species they are, whether they slither or swim or hop or pad around. We don't own our pets, we have a mutual bond of giving and taking, just like a normal friendship should be. Mutual love and affection. Not only that, but some pets have the ability to make us all laugh.

Have you ever had a pet do something silly? If you have, I'm sure you remember what happened quite vividly, because it's something special. It's all just little fibers connecting that bond you share.

And just like any other bond of love, nothing, not even death, can break it.

[Deleted]

It's still the 28th for me!!! Today was just hectic and when I did get the chance, I couldn't bring myself to post. But I can now, so here it is. Kudos to Sen for showing this to me. <3

Where the Hell is Matt
28th of December, 2010



This is a man. This man's name is Matt. Matt went all over the world to dance in different countries, got himself a sponsor and thousands of people from all over the world to dance with him.

You may ask what this video is about. You might want to know what it means or you might even take a stab at giving it some deep philosophical meaning.

As for me? I think it's a man doing a silly dance.

Read into it what you will, or just sit back and enjoy the amazing locations, the goofy grins and the silly dancing man whose name is Matt.

[Deleted]

Nom
29th of December, 2010

[Deleted]

Bad Karaoke
30th of December, 2010

You know all those talent quest reality TV shows? Well, the reason they get such high ratings is because everyone loves to see someone's dreams come true. The second reason is, everyone loves to see someone singing badly. It's nothing vindictive, it's just that it's funny. It doesn't even need to be singing, it could be anything, just as long as it's done badly.



It might burn your ears at first, but you'll split your sides anyway.

[Alyssa]

YAY

I really like the way the Y in Yay looks like it's cheering.

Y-Y-Y-Y-Yayyyyy!