I Got Back That Smile

Happy Monday, friends!

I do believe it is a Monday? Are you able to confirm? It still boggles my mind that we are now entering the second week of July.

To me, it doesn’t feel like half the Summer is already gone. It doesn’t even feel like Summer has started.

Are any of you able to confirm this too?

To be 100% honest, it doesn’t even feel like 2020 has been real. There are still moments where I feel like I’m in a dream and that I will eventually wake up and everything will be back to normal.

This past Friday, Katy Perry released a new song entitled Smile. I will share the link to the song on YouTube at the end of this post, but the lyrics and tune are so catchy…and relevant to how we ourselves might be feeling with all that is happening. It is definitely a song that will earn a spot on the Mr. Sunshine playlist of songs that bring out the best in me.

And it is one that reminds us that we need to find the light and smile.

Anyhoo, I’m getting a bit sidetracked, which should not be breaking news to any of you reading this.

About 5 months ago, a lot of us entered into unchartered waters with an intense pandemic that is more commonly known as COVID-19.

For me, it has made staring at walls 6 or 7 days a week become the new norm, late-night grocery trips with my headphones and store list non-existent, and emotions of mental exhaustion more common.

It has changed several entities of life for me, for you, and for our world.

More recently, I’ve seen feelings of anxiety rise in my life because of the fact that it’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust with all of the information that gets thrown into our faces on the daily.

I’ve found that saying something or sharing my beliefs can cause anger in others, but on the flip side of that, I’ve also found that not saying anything can cause anger in others too. It seems to be a no-win situation no matter what way the cake is sliced.

But one thing that has not changed for me throughout all of this craziness is the passion I have for the moral of being kind to one another that I was so strongly raised upon growing up.

It is a moral that I strive to live out on the daily and display through different facets of my life, especially with the persona of Mr. Sunshine that I wear proudly on my sleeve.

This week, the goal of this post is to share 3 things that I have done during this quarantine to display being kind to one another. They are super simple, cost very few dollars (if any at all), and are something that I hope and pray all of you will try at some point in the near future because kindness and love are entities that our world could really use right now.

#1: Pay For The Person Behind You
-With the fact that more and more people are utilizing drive-thru service right now, this act is easy to undertake and always brings about a smile that beams from side to side on my face…and often times the beneficiary behind me. Seeing able to witness the joy and elation in the side-view mirror of that unsuspecting individual behind me is always something that makes me beam from ear to ear without fail. I can’t wait for you to try it!

#2: Take Your Favorite Quote, Write It In A Card, & Send To Someone Special
-This is one that has proven to be very rewarding, especially with getting the chance to be creative with the quotes that I find. Having connection with others, especially now is so important and being able to do this with those that are special to us can bring out some of the most rewarding feelings in our soul, so don’t waste another moment and start writing! Get your favorite quotes and make the note personalized and fun. The sky is the limit!

#3: Send A Text, Email, Message, or Small Token/Trinket To Let Someone Know You Appreciate Them And Are Thinking About Them
-While this one might seem super obvious, it is something that I think we often let slip through the cracks because we become bogged down with what is happening in our lives that we forget to reach out to those who really mean the most to us in life. Trust me, the feeling of joy that this will bring you is like none other. Go through your phone contacts and pick out a few people for each day, week, or month to send some special thoughts too.

Our world needs kindness. Our world needs love. Our world is in a scary place right now and it is up to each and every one of us to be the beacons of light that shine on for each other.

We need connection from each other now more than ever.

We need the love from each other now more than ever.

If there is one thing that I hope you will do after reading this post, it’s this:

Sit down and take action on some of the three things that I’ve just written about and mentioned to you above. Or, come up with your own creative ways to display the moral of being kind to one another.

I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t scared for our world.

But the fire of passion in my soul to try and light your souls to do good still burns.

And I’ll be damned if anyone tries to put that fire out and keep it from burning.

Be kind to one another.

Love each other.

Hard.

110%.

No exceptions.

Please.

That’s all.

Amen.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!