While there are many ups and downs as we make our way from one day to another, remembering to stop and find the smiles – and laughs! – can make the journey much lighter. I’ve noticed I often have no idea such a moment will happen, so in addition to providing a smile or laugh, it’s also a nice surprise.

While attending a mental health awareness day in Phil Campbell at Northwest Shoals Community College last week, I held a puppy. I’m sure some, perhaps even most of you, have already done this, perhaps many times; however, it was a first for me. She was sweet and soft and warm, an unexpected delight in my day, even sleeping in my arms for much of the time I held her. I felt her tiny chest rising and falling as she slept and lounged contentedly and felt her little heart beating – a very pleasant experience.

No folks, I do not have a new pet in my household, but rest assured this little sweetie has a loving home. Her human caretaker was gracious enough to let me enjoy her 8-week-old puppy while she worked on a project at the event.

Ah, house plants – or in this case, office plants. My friend and co-worker recently gave me a tiny succulent in an adorable hedgehog planter. Determined not to kill it, I tried to make sure to water it – but not too much. A few weeks later, I commented to her how pleased I was to have managed to keep it watered correctly, only to be met with an amused laugh – first hers, then my own, as I learned it was, in fact, fake. Well, we have to laugh at ourselves, don’t we? It really is the perfect gift, as long as I keep it somewhere it’s sure not to be knocked off.

We all get busy and can feel there’s little to no time for “frivolity and mirth,” but finding things we can appreciate in the midst of the chaos really makes it all so much easier. In this area, be contentedly easy to amuse rather than hard to please. Not every day is perfect by any means, but “perfect moments” do present themselves, so don’t forget to take a little time along the way to enjoy what is right in front of you.