Everyday Canvas

All That's Worth Looking forward to.

Prompt: What do you look forward to every week?

What do I look forward to each week? Simple, to stay alive and well. At my age beggars can’t be choosers.

Once I find out this simple part will be accomplished, I also look forward to a few other things: people who are beautiful maybe not in looks or what they say or what they own, but just the way they are; reading; writing; WdC and any new finds as to interesting articles on the net; laughing at my own imperfections and the way I forget words—words on the tip of my tongue that I know very well, like “artichoke,” which I couldn’t fish out yesterday or the way I’d have liked to answer someone, which I didn’t; finding small inspirations as in a puppy enjoying itself in a puddle, a sunny day, a beachside walk, the rain, a flower or an interesting plant; finding someone to hug, someone with a secret sorrow; betting with myself which part of housework I am going to omit or goof up…Things like that.

When I was growing up, there was a poor old widow who was renting a basement room from one of the neighbors. That woman always greeted everyone with a smile. Her room was dark, dingy, and sparsely furnished, and it had a tiny window high up. Looking through it, you could only see the feet walking by and the tires of an occasional passing car. One day, she came over to visit us and acted so happy because a tiny bird had flown to her tiny window and started chirping. She talked on and on about that bird. Had she won a million dollars from the Lotto, she wouldn’t be so happy. As I admire people who choose smiles even after all the storms they’ve endured, that woman impressed me greatly throughout my life. If only I could do the same for someone else, which is definitely another thing for me to look forward to.

Once a motivational speaker said, “The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.” I think he was very wise.