HOW I STARTED APPRECIATING THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE by Grease & Glamour

Rebloged from GREASE & GLAMOUR

I was talking to my younger brother the other day, and he made a comment about how much I had changed – that he still remembered the girl I was only a few years ago, obsessed with designer labels and completely addicted to shopping retail. And he was right. I was constantly running in the world’s hamster wheel, and it forced me to always want more. More shoes. More money. More clothes. More bags. More labels. I realized at one point that this need for excess was fueled by my desire to be happy, but the funny thing is, none of it was actually making me happy. It’s crazy to think about how much, fast forward a few months, I’ve transformed by being on the road.

I ran across Contiki Legends, featuring the life-changing stories of fellow travelers. I’m scrolling through these stories, one of my favorites being the Canadian girl’s first time seeing an ocean in person, and they got me thinking about my own life-changing moment. What was the exact moment that I realized that I was on my way to being truly happy? When did I know in my heart that my life had changed?

For me, it was when I started to appreciate the simpler things in life.

Oh, how cliche.

Yeah, cliche, but true. After traveling through Iceland, London, France and Italy, I booked a last minute flight to Dubrovnik, Croatia. My trip started off with crazy adventures, running around, hopping on and off trains, being photographed in front of major tourist attractions with a lifesize cutout of my father, and it ended in one of the most beautiful destinations I had ever seen.

And this was the exact moment I realized that something in me had changed – this sunrise in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Well, what’s the big deal?

When I was younger, my father used to try for years to drag me out of the bed to watch the sunrise with him in my hometown of Virginia Beach, VA. I never woke up. It was always too early, and I’d pull the sheets over my head and ask him to shut the door and let me sleep. Why watch the sunrise? What was the point?

Yet here I was, in a foreign country off the coast of the Adriatic Sea, watching the skies change colors, in complete bliss. The waves crashing against the rocks on the cliff, the fence filled with love locks inspired by the iconic bridge in Paris, the local man walking across the bridge becoming the perfect silhouette for my photograph – I can’t explain the stillness that surrounded me and how it soothed my soul. I watched the sun rise from the sea into the sky, the world coming to life, and I was the happiest that I had been in years.

I was so grateful to be there in that exact moment, witnessing something so simple yet so magnificently beautiful. No matter where you are, watching the sunrise forces you to be in the present moment – your mind isn’t bothered by thoughts of the past or the future. The world speaks to your soul through your eyes, and it costs you absolutely nothing. And you know what they say – the best things in life are free.

Little Pleasures, Big Smiles- CONVERSATIONS WITH A TODDLER

From "why's" to "how come's" and "Oooh's".
Conversations with a toddler never seem to bore.
They take you to a world of cuteness and fluff and no matter how many times you get asked the same thing, it's still impossible not to love.
Their fascination and curiosity of the world around, is a form of enthusiasm that is otherwise rarely found.

Conversations with a toddler add colours to our lives which no other are able to.

Image: http://goo.gl/VFtXsv

Little Pleasures, Big Smiles- Waking Up With Bird Song

Another little pleasure that summer always brings. One of the sweetest wake-up's when the birds begin to sing.
The chirps of different birds which emanate from the trees, together make the sweetest melodies.
And one thing that is certain of with a morning of bird song, the day ahead will be a cheerful one with sunshine all day long.

Little Pleasures, Big Smiles- Pancakes for breakfast, a five star breakfast

There is something special about pancakes for breakfast. A breakfast fit for a king.
Satisfying the rumbling tummy with some syrup and tea and chatter.
Add a sausage and an egg, some freshly squeezed fruit juice and breakfast is an absolute treat.

But the perfect topping and what brings the most morning smiles is when breakfast is prepared specially for you.

Pancake recipe: http://goo.gl/VuJpwx

Little Pleasures, Big Smiles

It's the little things in life that make life special, it's the little things in life that give life meaning.
But it's also the little things in life that we so often fail to notice.

We are surrounded by the moaners and the complainers and the pessimists. It is so easy to be infected by the negative-bug. And once we have a negative mindset we fail to see the beauty of our days. The beauty that each new day brings

Don't get me wrong, the big things matter too. They leave us with the most startling memories.

But it's the little things that we miss the most when they no longer occur.

It's the little things in life that makes life sweet!

I'd like to share with you weekly "A little pleasure, Big smiles"

This Week: The First Rains Of Summer
As our surroundings change from brown to green, the first rains of summer bring new life and colour.
The animal kingdom show off their new offspring, the trees and flowers dressed in their new leaves and the birds begin to sing.

The first rains of summer and the smell thereafter fills my heart with warmth and my eyes with smiles.
A joy to behold.