Yet - and here I speak only for myself - there is so much that makes me smile that all this foot-stamping and growling into my beard (that's a metaphor, I don't really have a beard) gets in the way of noticing the little things that cheer me every day. So here are a few of them:
Snowdrops - lively, delicate little flowers that come out to play in the meanest weather.
The smell of fresh coffee.
Bookshops. (Coffee in bookshops is one of the best ideas ever!)
Warm slippers - even furry slippers, that look ridiculous but keep your toes toasty.
Birds on the feeders in my garden - brave little birds, feathers ruffled against the cold. When the sun shines they wake me in the morning and I forgive them even if it's early.
Grandchildren. (Ah, grandchildren ...)
The Today Programme (a news programme that comes on radio every morning in the UK)
Singing - from bellowing in the kitchen while the kettle boils to the sweetest carol with my choir.
My passport (you know why!)
Aren't I lucky? Such day-to-day delights that greet me every morning. This list wrote itself in five minutes - think how much there'd be on it in half an hour?
And you - what makes you smile, just to think of it?
