Just a few simple lines and dots. Yet they work. The happy face smiles, and you smile back. (If you’re not a fan of happy faces, I’d love to have you agree with me today for the sake of this post.)
Simple.
When life is so stressful that even Glinda the Good Witch couldn’t calm you down, keep things simple, especially if your hormones are playing nasty. This isn’t new advice. It’s age-old, and it works:
- Buy, don’t bake the cookies.
- Get the bride and groom a gift certificate.
- Let your husband or kids or friends or all of them win the argument.
- Put Anna Karenina aside and pick up the junky beach read.
Another day, when you’re in the mood and have the time, you can get fancy:
- Recreate your grandmother’s rolled sugar cookies (using her 100–year-old cookie cutters).
- Use a zillion colors and a whole dictionary of stitches to knit the couple a throw for their first anniversary.
- Spend hours articulately proving to everyone that you’re an authority on most subjects and issues.
- Finish Anna Karenina and then write a happier ending, in perfect Russian. Give that girl a break, too!
Fancy and complicated can be fun, but when your mood says, “One more thing and I’ll pop like Glinda’s bubble,” remember: Simple!
Photo: My button’s name is Helga Happy Face. She lives in my button collection where she cheers up the more serious buttons by cracking jokes and reciting limericks.
Guest Posts: I’m simply delighted to have a guest post on Girlfriendology! http://girlfriendology.com/blog/4533/z-is-for-zest-girlfriend-advice-from-barbara-younger/#
Happy Birthday on Tuesday: To Daughter Number Two, Laura Younger, who makes me happy every single day, even though raising her wasn’t exactly simple. http://takingbackmytwenties.com
Love, love, love the idea of the happy face button cracking up the serious buttons. We all need someone in our life like that. For me, it’s my dad. I’ll try to remember your words of wisdom, keeping it simple, but I will also try to crack someone up every once in a while. Maybe a little levity will help, too.
Another great post.
That’s a nice thing to say about Larbs!
I think there is too little happy in our work lives. When I speak to groups they usually arrive with somber faces – like, “Well, I guess I better go in and learn something.” I won’t even start until I can get them to laugh or at least smile – makes it so much more fun for everyone. Next time I will hand out happy face buttons!
we need to read this post EVERYDAY!!! 🙂
You need a big cheery Happy Face button like my Helga to remind you!
and a happy birthday to laura on tuesday!
And happy birthday to your mom! Great day to have a birthday!
Hi Barb,
I just read your guest post on the other site about zest and I am wondering how long it took to get to the zest phase and do you take any HRT or alternative medicine to help you be zesty?
I would say about two years for full zest (not that life is perfect but that bad hormone gloom seems to be so much better.) No, I thought about HRT but never felt quite that low.
That is a nice thing to say about me!!! Thanks for birthing me:)
You are very welcome! See you tonight for dinner. Dad has a whole evening planned. Come hungry!
Yeah, Bud lights at Four Corners, fried chicken at Time Out, and candy from Kerr Drugs.
Ahhh, the Smiley Face… It was so huge so many decades ago and always made me smile. It happily reminds me of a very special person who had Smileys everywhere. Fun to have fond memories of someone who died many years ago.