Three things that made me smile today

1. I got up at the pre-dawn hour to meet my running partners in the snowy park and after initially wishing that Coach Spencer had canceled the workout, I realized, hey, I'm up. It's not that cold. Get out there. Once in the park the beauty of the morning took over. We all wished that one of the 14 who showed up to run had a camera. No one did, not even a smart phone. So we ran and took mental snapshots of the white frosted branches, all delicate and black under the inch of snow that made the trees look magically delicate and crystaline. The run was hard so the natural beauty helped distract me and on the way home I ran into my husband and the dog and she bounded toward me, all frisky and happy to "snow plough" with her nose down in the snow, emerging with a big white fluffy blob on her furry snout. Great start to the day.

2. I discovered while procrastinating that it's Random Acts of Kindness week. Corny, forced, a throwback to the whole Pay it Forward idea but still, it made me realize that we can all be nice to each other and not make February feel longer than it has to. I am planning to be super cheerful today so if I say hi a little too loudly, or hold the door a little too long, be warned.
Stand behind me in line at Starbucks, and who knows? I may just pay for your Venti cappuccino with skim. Maybe.

3. The Westminster Kennel Club dog show at the garden. I know, everyone is watching the Olympics (I too loved the boarder cross and the pairs figure skating) and American Idol (I get sucked in like the rest of them and find Kara has grown on me and she and Ellen have a great dynamic) but for sheer smile factor there is nothing like a pup. Especially the goofy looking ones with funny haircuts and real people-like cartoon faces. Check out this guy. He truly wants to talk. I think he'd say: hey, I LIKE my ears! What you lookin' at?http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100212/483/a8c85ba4d7ec4719b644019650944032/

But I am the kind of easy mark for things like cat videos where the animal is stuck in a jacket sleeve, or the other funny silly little You Tube moments that capture the momentum of viral internet popularity. Send me the things that make you smile today, and every day. We can all use a little extra joy in our lives. Consider it YOUR random act of kindness, to me!