Smile… a simple gift…

Exactly!!  I am always smiling at people…it doesn’t matter if I know them or not~I just plain damn smile at them!!  I can’t remember who it was that used to tell me:

“Smile…it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to!”

Well, why not?  I’ve been seriously thinking about this a lot lately…life is not without it’s trials and tribulations, and sometimes it’s just not easy.  And I spent a lot of time thinking about what one thing I could do or could give that would make a difference?  Something that was simple, not costly, and would be easy to do on a daily basis…

And then it came to me.

A smile.

Honestly, a crummy day can turn around with a simple smile.  It’s hard not to smile back at another person who offers their smile to you.  Smiles are infectious, contagious, and heck~ they’re FREE!!  Talk about easy!!

I just think that this one little thing, if every single one of us practiced it, could change the way the world spins…

A smile.  

A simple act of kindness; a heartfelt offering; a gift of friendship; a simple sign of caring; and a sign of peace and understanding.

And so I challenge you:

Spend an entire day offering your heartfelt smiles to everyone you see…and then ask yourself:  was it not a gift that kept on giving?

Make your days count…

~Jeanie

I’m a Mermaid…Wouldn’t you like to be a Mermaid, too?

I am a Mermaid.  

Mermaid (n.): An ambassador of inspiration for good health, fitness and nutrition for fellow athletes in a global community.

I briefly shared in an earlier post my excitement at being chosen by The Mermaid Club http://livelifemakewaves.com/ to be an ambassador for them… and now just a few weeks later, my excitement is growing!!

I am an Ambassador.  I am charged with inspiring others on their journeys…

I was chosen from a field of over 100 mermaids who want to inspire others; I am humbled by their stories…  http://livelifemakewaves.com/2015/02/meet-nine-mermaid-club-ambassadors-who-are-making-waves-in-2015/ and I cannot believe that I have been chosen!!

My goal just a few short years ago was to just get myself healthy.  Lose weight, exercise regularly, eat better.  I thought it would just be a “me thing”.  Selfishly, I only wanted to better myself.  That is until I successfully reached my goal-I lost nearly 60 pounds; dropped 7 sizes in my clothes; worked out 5+ days each week; created recipes for healthy food that tasted great.  Right before everyone’s eyes, I had done it.

And then I needed a new goal… and being me, well- I have the gift of gab and once I started yammering about my wonderful self and how I had jumped on the “be a better me” wagon… people started listening.  And they started really paying attention to what I had to say.  And then- they started to seek my thoughts on working out and eating right.  And that was foreign to me, because honestly- I was a big ol’ naysayer for the longest time, and everyone knew it.  Remember?  I was happy being a Couch Potato… I love Cheese Fries… And then it happened- there I was giving out recipes; sharing exercise tips; encouraging others to be healthier and to make better choices.

Little did I know that way back then, I was a Mermaid in training!  All those years ago, the ones where I walked 16,000 steps a day and counted every calorie that went past my lips…  It was leading up to now.  And here I am.  Strong, able, and up for the challenges that every workout, every meal, and every race throws before me-

I am a Mermaid. 

It’s not about me anymore.  It’s about anyone who wants to take the dive into life; anyone who is ready to make waves in their own lives; anyone who is ready to say “coz why not” and really mean it… It’s about all those other Mermaids waiting in the waves, and what I can do to inspire them.  It’s about making your days count…

So I say…

“Wouldn’t you like to be a Mermaid, too?”  

~Jeanie