Tag: Reasons to Smile

Time To Break For A Smile

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Time To Break For A Smile

Time To Break For A Smile

By D.S. Mitchell

Things have been dark around here the last few posts, so I think its time to give ourselves permission to smile. First, the shellacking of Trump in last night’s multi-state elections gives me hope. At least 60% of the American voters disapprove of Trump and his activities. People are paying attention and they don’t like Trump’s lawless, blatant, corruption, DOGE, soldiers on our streets, masked ICE thugs disappearing people, tariffs, inflation, foreign policy, and they are sending a powerful message to Trump’s White House. Open the damn government. Continue SNAP; and on and on, and on.

So, folks, let’s lighten the mood and here are 25 things that always make me smile. How about you? Make your own list. Smiling with a grateful heart is an important part of happiness.

25 Things That Make Me Smile

1.) Winning.

2.) Putting pennies in a jar, and watching it grow.

3.) Being smart.

4.) Acting stupid.

5.) Living in a vacation town, in the off-season.

6.) Blackened hot dogs. Yum. Yum.

7.) Slow dancing.

8.) Pyramids of tea sandwiches.

9.)  Knowing when its time to work; and when its time to play.

10.) Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter.

11.) Edibles.

12.) Raindrops hitting a pond.

13.)  Cookbooks with food stains on favored recipes.

14.) Front row seats.

15.) Rational thinking; easier said, than done.

16.) Following the Estate Sale signs.

17.) Giving.

18.) Sharing.

19.) Sharing childhood remembrances with a childhood friend.

20.) Order over chaos.

21.) Wild strawberries peeking up in the flowerbeds.

22.) Prime Days.

23.) Self-debates.

24.) Mail-in voting.

25.) Legalized cannabis.

 

Take Time to Smile

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Take Time to Smile

beautiful rainbow over acres of flowers

Take Time to Smile

 

By D. S. Mitchell

Before I get any more irritated at Trump’s threat to take over D.C. I think I need to switch gears. I know, I’ll just take a few minutes to think  of all the things that make me smile. Join me for a moment to reflect on the sweet and simple things in life.

  1. Beach grass whipped by the wind
  2. The feel of cotton against my skin
  3. Electric BBQ’s
  4. Donating blood
  5. A dash of Irish Cream in my morning Cappuccino
  6.  Soldiers in their dress uniforms
  7.  Children’s handmade cards
  8.  Ed Sheeran’s “The Shape Of You”
  9.  Looking through freshly cleaned windows
  10.  Montana’s endless skies
  11.  Roller skating at Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon
  12.  Paddle wheel river boats
  13.  Finding that lost earring
  14.  Homemade Clam Chowder and Cheese Bread
  15.  Letters to the Editor
  16.  Antique car shows
  17.  A freshly cleaned bathroom
  18.  Cashmere and tweed
  19.  The thinnest, crispiest French fries
  20.  A new supply of business cards
  21.  Lunch with Mom
  22.  A February 29th birthday
  23.  Dancing cheek to cheek
  24.  Random acts of kindness
  25.  Circular driveways
  26.  Summer days at the lake
  27.  Winning $100 on the Scratch Off ticket

That’s it. I hope you took a minute from the insanity of the 24 hour news cycle, put up your feet and smiled at a few of the simple things in life.

Calamity Politics is a progressive news magazine dedicated to human rights, universal health care, elimination of the Electoral College and restoration of Democratic control of the Congress and the White House. Join the New Resistance. Dump Trump. Protest and demonstrate. We don’t have to take this crap. Our soldiers didn’t die on the battlefield to allow this to happen. Join the New Resistance

HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

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 HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

Times are tough, sometimes you just need to make time to smile

HUMOR: Let’s Find Something To Smile About

By D.S. Mitchell

 

Back At the Computer

I am back at the computer working on a new post for my www.calamitynewsandpolitics.com website.  Before I started this website, I worried that I wouldn’t have enough to scream about, but I’m finding that I could probably do half a dozen posts a day related to the B.S. and dangerous misinformation but I thought, before I start a fresh rant on the collapse of American democracy and other issues of importance to Western Civilization I should deliver something positive and uplifting.

So, dear hearts here are twenty-five things to make you smile:

  1. Touching toes in the night
  2. Sunsets over water
  3. Wraparound sunglasses
  4. The Science channel
  5. Kite flying contests
  6. The Muppets
  7. Astronauts on Mars
  8. Blowing the paper wrapper off the straw
  9. Winning at Poker
  10. A dog’s cold nose on your hand
  11. Barhopping on a Saturday night
  12. Old jeans that fit just right
  13. Your lover’s voice
  14. The clatter of skis being loaded for vacation
  15. The rumble of a train as it passes
  16. Walking in the rain
  17. The imagination of a six year old
  18. Margaritas at midnight (or any time, for that matter)
  19. Finishing the Sunday crossword without cheating
  20. A morning walk
  21. The smell of a new car
  22. Roller skating
  23. Your First grade teacher
  24. A sexy book
  25. Daddy’s smile

Back to the Fight

Now that we’ve had five minutes of smiles its time to get back to the fight. We have lots of work to do; stop the relentless gun violence, end state’s whittling away of our voting rights, stop anti-democratic gerrymandering that provides power to those who do not have voter support. We must halt the actions of John Robert’s  monumentally corrupt Supreme Court. Time to impeach Clarence Thomas and any other Justice that is in bed with the billionaires. And closest to my heart, the restoration of a woman’s right to choose, by the codification of Roe. We can do it all, we just need boots on the ground working toward these goals. Join the fight for democracy.

OPINION: While Trump Moves Out, Let’s Smile

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Time we stopped and smiled

OPINION:

While Trump Moves Out, Let’s Smile

D. S. Mitchell

While Donald Trump continues to fight the 2020 election results he is taking on the Republicans as well as the Democrats. There are plenty of us grabbing our pearls and wondering if he is going to be able to pull off his intended coup. I am praying he and his allies fail. But, I am not convinced. His behavior has become a national outrage. You LOST stupid. Move on. For God’s sakes, the state of Georgia has now counted and certified the election result three times! The American people told Trump in  a big way, “We are done with you. Goodbye. Get lost.”

As we kick Trump out of the people’s house we might want to come up with a few things to smile about, cause the next couple weeks are probably going to get dirtier and uglier than the last four years.  Here’s 35 good reason to smile while we watch as the U-Haul trucks load up the Orange Golfer’s personal affects.

1.) Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade cook book series  2.) “Doing” lunch  3.) Blowing bubbles  4.) Saturday night Roller Derby  5.) Popeye cartoons  6.) Aquariums  7.) Tug boats  8.) Winning 9.) Tootsie Roll Pops  10.) Costco food samples  11.) Fitted sheets  12.) Window seats  13.) Spa Day  14.) KoolAid  15.) A freshly sharpened pencil  16.) Chasing rainbows  17.) Day hikes  18.) NASA 19.) Birdhouses 20.) Caves  21.)  Beach bonfires  22.) Song birds  23.) Hot fudge sundaes  24.) Balconies  25.) Gymnastics  26.) Playing Frisbee with the dog  27.) Windsurfing the Columbia Gorge 28.) Clam Chowder in a bread bowl  29.) The shape of water 30.) Indian summer  31.) Hot tea  32.) Wishing on a star  33.) Baskets of Geraniums  34.) Toddler’s in snowsuits  35.) Secret family recipes.

I’m happy now. Hope you found something to smile about. I pray this will all be over soon and all we will see is Trump’s diapered ass in our rearview mirror.

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2017/10/08/29-things-to-make-you-smile/

Some Days, You Just Gotta Smile

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Sometimes You Just Have To Smile

Some Days, You Just Gotta Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Shelter In Place

It is Tuesday morning and it looks like a perfect day. The clouds are white cotton balls hanging over a green ocean with cresting waves breaking gently against the sand. It does not seem to matter that I am currently “sheltered in place” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was thinking before I started writing this blog post that I should discard politics for a few minutes and look for as many reasons as I can to smile. Here is what I came up with:

Smile List

1.) Puppies and kittens  2.) A man in white T-shirt and faded jeans, that fit just right  3.) Hot, crispy french fries  4.) Beach bonfires w/friends  5.) Misty mornings  6.) My over-sized cat sleeping in the hanging fern  7.) Moonlight on water  8.) Old Godzilla movies at midnight  9.) Taking first place  10.) Tiny houses 11.) Wicker and lace  12.) Powdered doughnut holes with fresh perked coffee  13.) My  secret journal  14.) An old cabin in the woods  15.) A check at the mail box  16.) Giving the peace sign, not the middle finger  17.) A new toothbrush 18.) An old Marx Brothers comedy  19.) Triple layer chocolate fudge cake topped with chocolate and cherry cordial ice cream  20.) Snowmobile rides under a full moon  21.) Sweet dreams  22.) Back rubs 23.) The rhythmic click of a spinning fan  24.) Remembering Mama  25) Following a stone wall to its end 26.) Babies dressed in boots and jeans  27.) Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef  28.) Machu Picchu  29.) Self-confidence  30.) The swooshing sound of corduroy on corduroy  31.) Toy Trains  32.) Cartwheels, somersaults, and hand stands on the front lawn  33.) Giant Tortoises  34.) Koi filled ponds  35.) Hot apple Empanadas  36.) Carte blanche  37.) Good posture  38.) A Denny’s breakfast of grease and goo  39.) Japanese lanterns floating on a breeze  40.) Twitter friends

Visit Me

No matter what is happening in Washington D. C. today, I will smile. Join me daily on www.Calamitypolitics.com and Twitter @calamitypolitics, as I autopsy the headline political news, promised to be served with a generous side of sarcasm and a double order of cynicism. For dessert, I promise a big dish of hope. as I attempt to analyze and comment on the upside down world of U.S. politics.

Join the Resistance

75 Things To Smile About

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75 Things To Smile About

D. S. Mitchell

It is Sunday afternoon and it is a perfect day on the North Oregon coast. The clouds are while cotton balls hanging over a blue ocean with cresting waves breaking gently against the sand.  Sundays are when I discard politics and look for reasons to smile.

So today this is what I came up with:

1.) Puppy love  2.) Wearing a man’s T-shirt  3.) Painted bead-board  4.) Skinny, crispy french fries 5.) Pale yellow and baby blue bedrooms  6.) Beach bonfires  7.) Misty mornings  8.) Good balance 9.) Day dreaming  10.) Sitting in the sun  11.) Having a canary in the house  12.) Remembering a locker combination  13.) Paper clips  14.) The cat sleeping in the fern plant  15.) Copper kettles 16.) Moonlight on water  17.) The crunchiness of French bread  18.) Mushroom hunting 19.) Picnic baskets loaded and ready  20.) Old Godzilla movies at midnight 21.) Finding the tool I need  22.) Turning off the faucet just as the water reaches the sink brim  23.) Achievement and set-back  24.) Tiny houses 25.) Wicker and lace  26.) Powdered doughnut holes with fresh perked coffee 27.) A secret journal  28.) A check at the mail box 29.) An old cabin in the woods  30.) Hide-an-Seek 31.) An approaching storm 32.) Sundance catalogue  33.) Childhood games  34.) Giving the peace sign, not the finger  35.) A new toothbrush 36.) Finishing a chore 37.) Filling a baked potato with butter, chives and sour cream 38.) Marx brother’s movies 39.) Chocolate fudge cake with chocolate and cherry cordial ice cream 40.) eBay 41.)Snowmobile rides 42.) Sweet dreams  43.) Stalagmites and stalagitates 44.) Ice fishing 45.) The smell of wood burning 46.) Back rubs and foot rubs 47.) A little self-love  48.) Fixing dinner with your partner 49.) New carpeting 50.) Old Sea Hunt episodes 51.) Arabian horses 52.) Finding a bird feather 53.) School plays 54.) The click of a spinning fan 55.) Remembering Mama 56.) A bike filled college campus 57.) Following a stone wall to its end 58.) Babies wearing boots and jeans 59.) Concerts in the park 60.) Machu Picchu 61.) Self confidence 62.) Wire baskets filled with vegetables 63.) The feel of corduroy 64.) Trains 65.) Cats 66.) Cartwheels, somersaults, and hand stands on the front lawn 67.) Historic places 68.) Tortoises 69.) Koi filled ponds 70.) Hot apple Empanadas 71.) Carte blanche 72.) Good posture 73.) A Denny’s breakfast of grease and goo 74.) Japanese lanterns floating on a breeze 75.) Touch football

No matter what is happening in Washington today, I will smile.

Join me mostly daily, as I autopsy the headline political news with an extra side of sarcasm and a double order of cynicism, but for dessert I dig into a big dish of hope, as I attempt to analyze and comment on the upside down world of U.S. politics.

Join the Resistance

Dar