"Your One Day Notice" by Wayne Bow

Our lives are riddled with choices. I think that people forget that one of those choices is happiness. Every day is full of opportunities to be happy and to smile, you just have to notice them. Sometimes it only takes one day to change your entire perspective on life. Throughout our daily routine in which we submit ourselves to the conveyor belt, we are so focused on the bigger events that shape our lives that we miss the most beautiful things that the world has to offer. After all, it’s the little things that make us smile.

Notice the clear blue sky that strikes brilliance into our eyes with just a few smudges of white wisdom that just make the day better. Notice how blue a friend’s eyes are and how they always seem to send tranquil chills through your bones. Take note of the small flecks of green that are scattered throughout, resembling freshly cut lawn shavings floating on the surface of a pool at noon. Notice the faithfulness of a parent, and how you can always trust them to rise up like the sun every morning and warm you up with just a smile and a hint of love.

I don’t need a magic 8-ball to predict my future and shake up my choices. I don’t need wealth to buy luxurious goods. I don’t need to rely on any source of materialistic goods that will eventually consume me with addiction. I choose to find all the finer things in life; the smaller, seemingly insignificant events within our daily routine. I choose to seize the opportunity to smile every chance I get and share happiness with all who welcome it. I think it’s high time that the world focuses on the smaller details.

Notice the pure joy that occurs when the room is filled with laughter, like a warm breeze that exclusively visits the beaches with the softest sand. Notice the different faces that cars make on the highway with their rear lights and the buttons on their dashboard, resembling a modern art painting at a gallery where only the most distinguished and notable people can attend, including you. Consider the few letters in the mail that aren’t bills, but messages from dear friends and families jumbled in an array of assorted stresses.

Life can throw all sorts of things at you that you can’t control. But we have control of our eyes and we choose what we observe and notice. I propose a “one-day notice”, where you search for anything and everything that brings a smile to your face for an entire day. Be sure to write everything down on a list. You’ll be surprised with how much you smile when you’re looking for a reason to.