How To Have A Good Day

It’s quite simple, really. Here’s my two-step plan for starting your day off on the right foot:

Step 1: Make eye contact with a stranger.

Step 2: Smile.

Boom. It’ll make you feel good and you may even get a smile in return. I swear, this works. I smile at random people all the time, and whether I get ignored or winked at (yup) I instantly feel a little surge of happiness.

Try it. Please. Then let me know how it goes! And don’t be shy — if you live in a big city or you take public transportation, it’s likely you’ll never see that person again.

Today is already a good day. Yes, I’ve smiled at some strangers, but there are other reasons, too. I will now share those reasons with you.

When my alarm went off at 5:40 am, I actually felt rested and ready to get out of bed. Usually I’m a snoozer/cuddler and getting up takes some effort. ABS wasn’t budging this morning, but I was ready to rock.

I went for a 4-mile run and beat the snow. (Honestly, I didn’t even know it was supposed to snow today — more on that later) Since I didn’t run yesterday, my legs felt refreshed and the warmer weather (28 degrees!) made for easy breathing. Success! I also passed lots of runners going in the opposite direction and I smiled at every single one of them. Only one cute lady walker actually smiled back and said “Good morning,” but it’s cool. They were probably smiling in their heads… Right?

I wore an old hat. I mean old. Like from high school. I discovered this winter gem when I was cleaning out our (my) coat closet a few days ago. It’s circa the early 2000s and from American Eagle. I can’t decide if it’s awesome or outdated. Either way, it kept my head warm during my morning commute.

No, it doesn’t match my black coat. No, I don’t care.

It’s snowing in NYC! As I mentioned, I had no idea it was supposed to snow today! The nice weather man on TV said partly cloudy, break from the freezing temps, blah blah blah. So imagine my surprise when I left my apartment and saw a pretty little snowstorm happening.

I’m aware that you can’t tell it’s snowing from this picture, but I promise you, it is. Big, white, fluffy flakes — the kind that like to sit on your eyelashes. I like snow days like this. It probably won’t stick too much and it looks nice coming down.

(Confession: ABS did tell me this morning that it was going to snow today. He warned me. But I was like, “No it’s not! The weather man says clouds only! Gosh, ABS, don’t tell me what the weather is going to be like when you don’t even know.” My mistake.)

I wore an outfit I like. I wear this outfit All. The. Time. It’s sort of my go-to for work and for going out. Dark wide-leg jeans, black and white patterned shirt, black belt and a lime green bracelet for a pop of color. As usual, I used the office bathroom as my personal self portrait studio for your viewing pleasure.

Please note that I managed to stand in front of a black garbage can for this photo. So while it looks like the crotch part of the jeans hangs down toward my mid-thigh area, that’s not the case. I swear they are more flattering than that.

NOW YOU TELL ME: What has made your day great so far?