It’s the little things …

Hey y’all. Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and I hope you had fun if you ventured out for a Black Friday sale. I know some people love that shit, but the thought of an overcrowded store with grown folks acting like shop-hungry cannibals freaks me out.

No thank you!

Today I thought I would tell you about a few things recently that have made me smile. Sounds weird, right? But there are so many things in the world right now that make us roll our eyes or feel depressed, so I thought we could use a little reminder of some of the good stuff in this world.

Have you seen the Texas Bushman prank videos on YouTube and Facebook? They make me so happy. It’s a guy dressed as a shrub that jumps up and scares people as they walk by. His victims scream, jump and cuss — but always high five him or give him a fist bump in the end. It is such a simple concept, but it is so fun to watch. I hope to one day get got by him.

The other day I was at the Walmart in Midlothian getting some groceries, and I stopped by the Subway there to grab us some lunch. There were only two people in line in front of me: a young mother with her young kid and a guy in work overalls.

Mr. Overalls was very nice; he said I could go ahead of him because he wasn’t sure what he was getting yet. The young ma was paying for her sandwich but was talking a mile a minute. She was telling the girl that worked at Subway how she didn’t like bell peppers in the past, but after she had her baby she couldn’t get enough. Oooh, but don’t get her started on onions! She used to like them, but now the smell makes her sick, and her kid is the same way. He likes vegetables but will not go near an onion to save his life.

She just kept going on and on. Mr. Overalls leans over to me and whispers, “Some people just love to talk, don’t they?” I nodded in agreement and smiled. The young mother heard him, and, without missing a beat, said, “Sorry y’all! I’m at home all day with no one to talk to except my son, so when I get around people I just can’t shut up. It’s just me and my son most of the time, and, God, I miss talking to adults! I love him so much, but he only knows a few words, so he’s not great for conversation” … and she kept going. She barely took a breath between sentences.

Mr. Overalls puts his hands up to get her to stop talking for one second so he could say something. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card and hands it to her. He tells her anytime she wants to talk, day or night, she can call him: “I know what it is like to be lonely, so please call me anytime.” The girl looked at him like she was going to cry and said thank you as she took the card.
It was the sweetest most kind thing I have ever witnessed.

After she left, he looked at me and said, “That girl needs some friends. If she calls, I will invite her to dinner with me and my wife.” I told him that I bet she would like that. He nodded and said, “I bet I won’t get a single word in,” and he laughed.
The whole interaction just made my heart smile.

Then a few minutes later in the parking lot, I put my groceries in the car and turned to take my cart to the shopping cart spot, and a nice old man asked if he could take it for me. That has never happened. I am always the one that offers to take someone’s cart back for them. It was a small act of kindness, but it added to my good mood for the rest of the day.

The other things this week that have made me smile all seem to have four legs. Every day my damn dogs do something that make me grin or full-on laugh. My little old man, Bentley, is a Maltese and is 16 years old. Some days he gets confused and shows his age, and it breaks my heart. But other days you would think he is a puppy — running and bouncing all over the place.

Bentley is a lapdog and will not be told otherwise. It doesn’t matter whose lap it is, if you are sitting, he will make his way to your lap and get comfortable so quicky that you feel guilty for moving even the slightest bit.

Also, when he wants cuddles, he will not be denied. He will cuddle you in your neck area or stretch out across you until you put your hands on him and love on him, the entire time making these little old man noises of joy that let you know he is loving everything you are doing. He makes me smile a lot.

All four of our dogs have their own quirks and personalities. They are weird, goofy little creatures that bring so much joy to our lives.

Between politics and the awful things happening to our community, it is getting harder and harder to find reasons to smile these days. So when you do find something like that, really let yourself enjoy the moment. Some days you just have to choose joy. Today will be a good day.

Remember to always love more, bitch less and be fabulous! XOXO, Cassie Nova