New Year's Eve 2013

Hope

Hope for the future!  Hope for better days.  Hope for happiness...

Actually all of these things are in my control.  So, today as the last day of 2013 will be a good day and the first day of better days to come.  It is my hope that everyone take this step.  Towards that goal I am going to work hard to make someone else smile every day.  Doesn't have to be someone I know.  It can be a stranger, a person I pass on the street.  Sometimes all it takes to make someone smile is to simply smile at them.  The key to success is making eye contact and being genuine. 

Good Cheer

Being of good cheer isn't always easy to maintain.  So many things influence your mood on any given day, at a given time.  Other people and the things they say affect how you feel, sometimes more than you would care to admit.  Little things said by the right person can thrill you, lighten your mood and make the day suddenly seem brighter.  Conversely, a single word or phrase from someone can do the opposite.  A smile always brightens my day, it doesn't even matter who smiled at me.  Smiles are infectious.  The more you smile, the easier it is to smile.  A warm genuine smile that reaches your eyes can touch a stranger.  A simple hello and hope that you have a good day will have impacts that you can't measure. Try to be that positive force out there in the world tomorrow.  Keep a smile on your face and say something nice to a stranger.  You never know when those words might be making a huge impact on that stranger and improve their day.

Community Garden Folks

Friday evening started at Mexseaco with the Pearland Chamber Ambassador Party, and then moved to a home where I dropped in on the Community Garden Christmas Party.  These volunteers have worked hard to bring something to Pearland that is an incredible community asset.  In the past year the Community Garden donated more than a 1000 pounds of produce to the Pearland Neighborhood Center.  They recently received an award from the Neighborhood Center for all of their hard work and fresh produce donated! I am so proud to know these folks.  I enjoyed my time at this party.  As much as I like catching up with friends I haven't talked to in a while, I especially enjoyed my time with the youngest of the Mitchell clan. Playing with Corbin reminded me how much fun a little one can be. Bringing back memories of my little ones (26,23,19 and 16 now) so they aren't so little any more, they are still fun in their own ways.

Shopping with Z

Nice to sit and talk through breakfast...

And although both of us were using our cellular devices... we were reading the news, now that is VERY nerdy.  So nice to have a son who is not just curious he has a thirst to know things.  AND to be able to discuss current events and get a 16 year olds perspective, well that is nice too... BUT breakfast was not the main objective of the morning.

The goal of this morning was shopping...shopping with someone who doesn't really want to be shopping, and who already has something in mind that may or may not exist in reality.  After several stores we were finally successful.  Although not exactly what he had in mind, he did find something that was suitable and would at the very least keep him warmer than his trusty hoodie sweatshirt.  So, now I know that my son who was once very easy to find clothes for...is now a little more discerning and cares about how it fits and looks.  I am happy that he finally found something and seemed happy enough with his purchases.