Day 7 - all the small things.

Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder.

~ John McLeod

Appreciating the little things in life allows every day to be a good day. This is what I have found. When I have the worst morning, fighting with family and feeling upset, a random compliment from a stranger makes my day. (An elderly lady told me I had great fashion sense, and that she loved the black bow on my beret :) ). Or seeing a really happy lady get on the bus, even though you could tell she had been rushing and now has to go to work.

It is sometimes so easy to forget how beautiful every day is. I know how corny this is probably sounding, but just take a minute to yourself each day, and reflect on the little things that made getting out of bed worthwhile.

I found a website called 'gives me hope' (http://www.givesmehope.com/). Its slogan is "FML for Optimists". I love it. It makes all the small things in life so meaningful. I found a few really nice ones:

"Last month, we visited my grandmother. She has a strange case of Alzheimer's.

When she denied being married, my grandfather looked up. We could tell this killed him inside.

Instead of getting angry, he stood up, walked over to her bed and asked her out again.

His love for her GMH. "

&

"I saw an old Catholic priest being helped up the church steps by a young man.

At the top he turned to the young man and said "God bless you."

The young man smiled nervously and said "I'm Muslim."

The priest smiled back and said "Allah bless you then."

Their religious tolerance GMH."

&

"My 10-year-old sister ran in the Special Olympics this year.

We thought she got 2nd place, until the awards ceremony where they told us that the little girl in first was disqualified for running too fast.

After receiving her Gold Medal, my sister went to the little girl and gave her the medal, and said she'd earned it.

Thoughtful little girls GMH."

I really like this website, because it shows how people really do appreciate the little things. You can see the little things in life that give people hope to keep going. Some of the circumstances on the website are so upsetting, yet the things that give these people hope are so inspiring. Because even in the worst times, they manage to hope.

I really like how it is the complete opposite of FML (f*** my life). Sure, the website is funny for laughs, but it makes every little thing that goes bad seem so important and when people say it in real life, I wish they would realize how lucky they are and to stop complaining about such trivial things.

Because it is complaining about such little things that make our days bad and makes people unhappy. Yet it is the appreciation of the little and simple things that can uplift our spirits and allow us to enjoy the day and feel as though we love life.

It is actually a trick that some pyschiatrists use: at the end of the day, you write down three good things about your day, and three things you are looking forward to for the next day. Whether you need a pyschiatrist or not, I think this can work for anyone.

On a personal note, I feel like such a crazy activist at the moment. I am pretty sure that most of my friends now think I am about to start tying myself to trees. I am constantly talking about poverty, or bringing out my ethical shopping guide or wearing slogan shirts. And although there is nothing wrong with that, I have always been one about balance. But I feel so guilty nowadays, indulging in myself, or enjoying too much, because I know I have this responsibility and this committment to the world. And I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do.

On a dollar25 note, I think my stomach has shrunk. Because I am never really hungry anymore. I just know I need food, or I start to feel dizzy. My bananas that I bought were about to become overripe, so I made some banana bread out of them. I had some leftover money in my budget for this week. I actually got the recipe from Richard Flemmings blog, extremepovertydiet.com, and it tastes amaaaaaaazing.

Speaking of Richard Flemming, he was actually my inspiration for doing dollar25 for a month, and apparently he is doing it now for three months, so good on him!! Seeing such amazing people doing such meaningful things really inspires me.

Anyway. I recommend randomly complimenting a stranger, because you never know whose day you could make.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.

~ Ghandi