Quotes | But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 96

18 Dec 2016 26 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calm, Quotes, Serene, Smile, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.” – Yoko Ono

Thanks for this one Spidey.

It’s a reminder I feel a heck of a lot of people I know could do with right now.

If you know me, you’ll know that I seldom have anything but a smile on my face. I rarely plaster foundation and cosmetics on my face, my makeup is my smile.

And as long as I have a smile on my face, there is so much in life that feels easier to deal with.

I’m not a total dreamer though. I know that having a smile plastered on your face 24/7 is not going to magically make all problems disappear.

In fact, many of those that have a smile regularly, are often those who are going through a lot in the background of their life, but like a clown, that smile masks everything else.

It’s true of me too. Life is seldom smooth sailing. There is always something bubbling away in my mind, but for me, facing life with a smile really does help.

It’s also good exercise, you know! We use more muscles to smile than to frown!

And a smile is often contagious. If you beam at someone, or give a little smile, you’ll often receive one in return, or if you don’t you may have given someone a little spark of positivity that they will hopefully allow to ignite into a full smile a bit later!

I found a lovely article here on some facts about smiling. Be sure to check it out!

So make sure you smile Peeps, at yourself, and at others. It’ll make for a better day! 🙂

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 93

27 Nov 2016 30 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calm, Quotes, rest, Serene, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“A change is as good as a rest .” -origins unknown.

So ‘they ‘ say… and I’m all for this saying. But it doesn’t always quite work out!

I’m currently sat at my in laws house on a Sunday Morning. We had an impromptu sleepover last night.

Cue frantic rushing back and forth to collect various items for the kids, food and water replenished for our furbaby Sonu Singh who would be flying solo for the night, and various chargers and electronic gadgets!

Hubby Dearest wanted to do this for ages. A night in his old home. Mum and dad in law are away visiting the Motherland at the moment so my bro and sis in law are home alone.

We’ve had a good time. A relaxing evening together and I think the kids had fun too.

But… I’m afraid I got no rest.

I slept with Lil Princess and Hubby Dearest slept with Lil Man.

And the girl snuffled her way through the night, then started whimpering.

A nightmare in which a class mate of hers was strangling her (!!??) meant she slept fitfully. Meaning I did too.

And my natural body clock wakes me around 6.30 as well, so a late night, coupled with the automatic wake up call meant not much sleep.

Then there’s the fact that it wasn’t my bed! Nothing can match your own bed for a good night’s sleep!

But… ever positive, it was a good time to reconnect with the family. Since mum and dad have gone we have been spending more time, just the four of us, rather than with the others. It was needed!

The kids are trying out badminton coaching this afternoon . .. I may take the opportunity to catch up on my sleep !!!

Have a wonderful Sunday Peeps!!!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 90

06 Nov 2016 40 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calm, Positive Thinking, Quotes, Serene, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

Life has a way of throwing some pretty tough punches in your direction. Sometimes those hits can really wind you.

How you deal with those hits, now that is a matter only you can decide upon.

You could curl up into a little ball, feel sorry for yourself, licking your wounds, and make a decision that you can’t get up again, losing the battle.

Or you could take stock of what happened, and plan a strategy where you get up, and fight back. Show the world you’re stronger than that.

I’ve said this before but I do firmly believe that though it may not feel it at the time, He only throws the punches he knows we can deal with because He knows of our inner strength. It’s up to us to find the inner strength to get past whatever barrier is keeping us down.

Seriously, look back on your life I am sure you can pinpoint tough times, downward spirals, where you thought that nothing would ever get better.

Now take a look at yourself now.

You are still here.

You are still standing.

You got through it.

See, He knew you could do it, now keep that faith in yourself alive too!

Have a wonderful Sunday Peeps, and Spidey and I will be back next week!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 87

16 Oct 2016 33 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calm, Clowns, Patch Adams, Quotes, Serene, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“I’m a clown, which could be a public health role. I’m really interested in moving our society away from a society needing Xanax and Prozac, and that is really feeling depressed, to one that is celebrating, and so I find just walking around in colorful clothes, people smile.” – Patch Adams

Spidey and I found this something rather topical, considering all this rubbish about the Killer Clowns that seems to be circulating at the moment.

I know the stupid ‘Killer Clown’ bug hit the US first, and there have been a few really terrifying incidents. But what is happening in the UK is purely pathetic.

Social Media has a lot to answer for, that is all I fan say here. Some idiots read about something happening over there and think “That will be fun! Let’s dress up and scare the Bejesus out of innocent folks over here too!”

So you have idiots parading in clown attire, with machetes, outside schools, and in various other places. One pregnant woman was scared in this way and ended up in premature labour!

Not far from here, one particularly stupid guy thought he’d get his friend to film him scaring people in a dark carpark, and he ended up getting a bloody nose. Not all people are scared. In fact, around here, there have been many rumours about where clowns are showing up next, and there are groups of people going around, to beat the clowns up, if they find any!

But what seems to be an innocent prank to some, is a terrifying incident to others. Lil Man came home last week on Friday full of the clown stories as his friends were talking about it. They walk past a large park on the way home. There was a sighting of 2 clowns there at the park the next day and they were eventually apprehended in the graveyard a few minutes away. Two 13-year-old kids were responsible.

Police were at his school for three of the five days, after school, a precautionary measure, as so many children had been scared. What a waste of police resources! And it’s all down to idiots who want to dress up. They just need to go to a costume party, and get over it!

All this meant Lil Man was acting all macho, like it meant nothing to him, but he was scared at night, and there was no loitering around after school… he was home within 10 minutes of school finishing all week! And his friend saw one in town yesterday.

But seriously, what is dressing up as a clown and scaring people actually achieving? I have always loved your classic clowns. Sorry but you don’t scare me. I hate it when these innocent characters of childhood get muddied in incidents like these. I love the quote above. That is what a clown should be all about, making people smile, and laugh, not scare them senseless, or scare them into labour!

There have been interviews with real clowns, those who make their living from dressing up and being clowns, in the traditional sense, and they are angry. Their profession is being dragged through the mud, and it’s not actually to do with them!

I just hope that after Halloween, this will all die down… Though I was a little horrified to see Killer Clown costumes for kids on sale in Asda today! A little tasteless, given the current climate, don’t you agree!

Sorry it’s not too serene today, but it’s something that has been on our minds!

But you all have a great Sunday Peeps!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 85

02 Oct 2016 29 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calm, Quotes, Serene, Smile, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sundays, tired

“I never get tired of smiling. I’m just the kind of guy who likes to smile.” – Jason Ritter

I can really relate to this one, but I am, instead, the kind of ‘girl’ who likes to smile!

I am shattered today, had a busy day yesterday, and we slept at 2am, and kids, as they are, woke me at 7am… so Ritu on 5 hours sleep is not particularly attentive, but I can still raise a smile!

Yesterday, as I was doing the grocery shopping, I danced the aisle dance with an elderly gentleman, you know the one where you meet at the same point on each aisle, as you are walking in opposite directions, but going the same way?

Every time we passed, we smiled. And it developed into a short comment exchange with a giggle.

Ultimately we stopped to have a proper chat. (Thank goodness the kids weren’t with me, they would have been pulling at my sleeve to walk away!) The first thing he said to me was “How lovely to see someone with a smile for a stranger, and a sense of humour too!”

He went on to comment that it’s so rare to see people sparing a smile for others they don’t know, or to have a little laugh at a situation they find themselves in.

He was in his 70’s and in the 5 minutes I spoke with him, I found out that he had gone to the school I taught at in the 40’s, that he had a son and a daughter, and 4 grandchildren he was very proud of, and that they played sports like my kids. We discussed the benefits of hands-on parenting vs. electronic parenting too….

This little exchange only occurred because of a stray smile…

I love these little random conversations that I end up having at odd times!

So, go on Peeps, smile at a stranger today (not in a creepy way, though!), you might make someone’s day!