Finding the Smile

So today turned out to be nothing like I had planned. Made a quote from John Lennon come to mind: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." Ain't that the truth?! But is that so bad?

In the South, there's a tradition of eating foods like black-eyed peas, cornbread and collard greens on New Year's Day to ensure a year filled with good luck and prosperity. Though I'm not particularly superstitious, I figure it can't hurt to observe this practice. After all, who's gonna turn down good luck and prosperity?!

So, yesterday my kitchen was filled with the smell of homemade bean and ham soup cooking on the stove. I pulled out the package of Jiffy cornbread mix, stirred it up and put it in the oven. It didn't rise. Not even a little. When I pulled it out of the oven, it was toasty flat corn slab. This was supposed to represent my luck in the New Year? Not good. What to do? No more cornbread mix in the house. Well, I sure wasn't going to let that crappy batch of cornbread define my 2011. A few minutes, a little more than a dollar and a trip to Harris Teeter later, a second batch was in the oven. It came out beautifully. Good luck saved with a little effort and the refusal to let an unexpected failure ruin the day.

My point? Sometimes you have to look for the smile in your day. No matter what's going on. When it doesn't go as planned. When there are major disappointments. When something crappy happens. When you aren't feeling at your best. There is always a reason to smile.

So what makes me smile today? Dermot Mulroney in "The Wedding Date." I've seen this movie a million times and it's one that I have to watch every time it's on TV. It's "Pretty Women" for women -- the hooker with the heart of gold is a man. Just a nice, simple, feel-good movie -- something that's always good for a smile.

Want something deeper? Even on a rainy day, I still live at the beach. I have wonderful friends both near and far. Life is good.