Day 27: Not a Word // Day 28, part 1: Smiley Faces

[Abigail]

Yesterday (Day 27), my husband came home nearly an hour late. This isn't hugely unusual, but it is usually frustrating for me -- especially because the kids get upset when they're not expecting it. Still, I try to be at least somewhat gracious about it as long as he shows up on time on Wednesdays. I call Wednesdays our "chaos days" because they are so jam-packed. By the time we get through a later-than-usual, picked-up-on-the-way-home pizza dinner, we barely have time for a bath before bedtime. And I really rely on my husband to add a bit of sanity to that last crazy bit of a crazy day. So when he didn't show up and he didn't show up and he didn't show up last night (Wednesday, of course), I could've chosen to be annoyed. Instead, when he finally came home, I made a conscious effort to be easygoing about it -- not just in how I treated him but in how I thought about it inside.

 

And now I'm to Day 28. I can't believe how quickly these days have gone by... I've decided to make the last two official days be "big." For today, I've decided my gift is to smile at everyone whose eyes meet mine. Every time. So far, so good. Some people ignore it, but most people smile back -- sometimes from an expression that was far from cheery. It's fun to see!

[Joan Concilio Otto]

I can really relate to your gift. And I REALLY needed to hear it; it's 11:10 p.m. and my husband was hoping to be home from work by 10:30 p.m. We work together, and I know why he's late - it was an immensely rough day for his department. But as his wife and the mom to his daughter, I still get pretty frustrated.

 

Today, though, I too will give the gift of "saying nothing" and truly meaning it - not in the silent-treatment sense I've sadly been known to employ at times!

 

I count my blessings that he IS working, not heaven-knows-what some husbands might be doing if they were late. And that we both have steady jobs that pay the bills, even if the time demands are great. I applaud you for looking at your situation in a similar way; I'll be thinking of your family!

[Michele wwt]

Smiles are great gifts from the heart. Thanks for sharing so many of them. Hope you stay with us for round two. :)

[Lois55 wwt]

I am so proud of you, i know how easy it is to let things go the opposite direction. Time flies when you're having fun! I know your smile was contagious and was a list to many! I hope you stay with us, I love reading your stories.

[Deb~ Community Manager]

You handled that well! Bravo to you. Keep passing out those beautiful smiles! Hope you will stay here with us and do another round!