Cell Phone Smiley
helps me to remember the Smiley-est moments of my life.
The happiest moments in our lives deserve more than a cursory nod once a year. I suggest that pausing for just a moment, every day, to remember the joy associated with these events, is a way to have a happier life.
To that end, my cell phone sends me a little musical message four times a day (a.k.a. an alarm goes off).
Each morning at 10:28 I am reminded that this was the moment that my wonderful little boy Lyle was born. To be clear, my phone chimes at 10:28 everyday, 365 days a year, not just on the day of his birth. Everyday my heart takes a moment to swell with the love I have for this great kid of mine. I literally stop what I am doing and conjure up a memory of Lyle. Ten seconds later I return to what I was doing with a glow in my heart.
In the middle of each afternoon, I am reminded of the moment of our wedding. I hear the chiming and take just a moment to mentally step away from my busy day to visualize something from the wedding and to remember how joyful I felt.
Every day as the afternoon draws to an end, at 4:48, my phone lets me know it is time to remember the birth of my sweet daughter Hillary. I decide, the moment I hear the music, to consciously stop and think of that happy event when I first became a mommy and how much joy she has brought to my life.
The final reminder comes as I settle in, each evening, for a cozy night. At 7:45 my phone reminds me of the birth of my last child. I pause to think of the happiness Darren brings me today and of the wonder and awe I felt when he arrived.
Some times I get into having a theme: think of a birthday party, remember a Halloween costume, conjure up a picture of their sweet sleeping face, marvel once more over a special achievement . . .
I hope this inspires you to take out your cell phone and program in some alarms to mark the Smiley-est moments of your life. It is a simple joy. Joy usually is.
Smile. Be Happy. Ruth
P.S.: For those births that occurred in the wee hours, I just tell moms and dads to add 12 hours and remember that child at a time that falls when they’re awake.
