Things That Always Makes You Smile

My mom found out she had stage 4 lung cancer when I was 2 and passed away when I was 6. When she got diagnosed, she was given 6 months to live so, needless to say, she gave us lots of amazing memories and really lived in the moment.

The one story I always tell when talking about my mom was how one day she let me and my older sister stay home, which was a big deal in 1st and 3rd grade already. We went to Bulk Barn and got EVERY item we wanted. When we got home, we snuggled in my parents’ bed, spread out what felt like a never-ending amount of bags of chocolate/candy, and watched Disney movies all afternoon. When my dad came home from work, he just jumped right in and joined us.

It was right before she went into hospice and the last “good day” I remember her having before she passed so the memory holds a special place in my heart.

Mine would be the time I saw a dog shart itself awake. Not all perfect memories are beautiful, some are perfectly hilarious.

When my daughter was little, she literally could not stop talking. She has ADHD and that’s just one of the effects.

One day, we were walking by an abandoned lot, looked like an old gas station or something. My daughter looked at it and said “Wow, that’s a beautiful yard!!”

I said “That’s a lot”

She said “Yeah!! A lot of beautiful yard!!!”

When my friend got hit in the face with a piece of broccoli at a hibachi restaurant.

‘Bout a year ago, was in a discount grocery store. I had about $20 left after bills and rent, so was having to carefully pick what to buy. In the end, after umming and ahing for a couple of minutes over whether I could afford to spend $6 on coffee I put it back on the shelf and went to the register.

As I’m walking out of the shop I hear a woman call after me: “Young man, you forgot this” I turn around and she thrusts the jar of coffee into my bag, I go to protest and she cuts me off saying; “I remember what it was like, not having enough money and having to go without. You take that coffee and enjoy it mate,” the biggest smile on her face. She was like a beacon of light during one of my darkest times, and I always remember her, with every cup of coffee I can’t help but smile. Because now each cup reminds me there are truly good people in the world.

Riding my bike with my childhood friends around the neighborhood in the summer. Carefree living and my favorite of all memories.

My daughter was born in July. The following fall she often would cry at night. I would wrap her in a blanket and take her for a walk. Moments after we got into the cool fall air, she would fall asleep but I would make the walk last as long as I could. Now every fall when the first cool evening hits I smile and often take a walk.

My son got pneumonia when he was 5. he was in the hospital for 4 days and they finally sent us home with $400 worth of prescriptions. His Medicaid had gotten messed up somehow and turns out he was uninsured. We were broke AF at the time and had just paid the mortgage so $400 wasn’t in the cards. I had about $250 to my name.

I drove around to different pharmacies trying to see if it was cheaper. About the 8th pharmacy I went to the pharmacist who said “let me check the price,” went in the back and handed me the prescriptions and just smiled. I tried to ask how much they cost and he just kept smiling. I’ll never forget that guy. I’m a 6’3″ 250lb construction worker and I cried all the way home.

I got to spend an entire week staying with my grandmother once when I was a child. That week was the best since I love my grandmother. We would scrapbook, sew, bake cookies, and do puzzles together. I was so happy to be able to spend time with her like that. She was my favorite person in the world.

I loved my grandmother so much that when I was a little kid “what I wanted to be when I grew up” was a grandmother.

She’s no longer alive, so I’m relearning how to sew during the quarantine and am going to make a quilt with some of her old quilt blocks.

Thinking about my cat, Cricket, and how he loved hanging out with me in my garage, like he was my assistant working on the car or sat with me during rainstorms. He was so much fun.

Back in college, I was eating at Chipotle with my friend Anthony, who is typically a pretty suave guy. As we were talking, he was alternating between taking sips of his beer and dumping Tabasco on his burrito before taking a bite.

He gets lost in our conversation and I see him grab the Tabasco and start bringing it to his lips before catching himself and grabbing his beer instead. Then I see him do it again, getting even closer to his mouth this time before realizing his mistake. He laughs it off. Another minute goes by and, exceeding all expectations, he grabs his beer and pours it into his burrito.

The first time my daughter spoke an intelligible word. She woke up in the morning and looking at me said ‘Papa’!

The funny part is that my wife had, according to her, the perfect plan. She would say, repeatedly, to the baby, the word ‘Papa’, then, supposedly, when the baby would need anything she would call me and not my wife.

It worked until a certain point. Now she’s jealous that the first word was Papa. But, when the baby wants something she calls for her mommy, most of the time

I did arts and crafts, storytime, etc. as a volunteer at the children’s hospital. Definitely when my favorite kid found a bone marrow donor. They have a large golden bell at the front of the ward that kids ring when they finish chemotherapy. She hadn’t finished yet, but she just went up to the bell and karate chopped it.

My first time coming home from college. I was worried my dog would forget me while I was gone. But when I walked through the door, she LOST HER S@#T. I’ve never felt so loved. And relieved.

My father was diagnosed with brain cancer and given a few months to live. He beat the odds again and again and the memory of him and my mother dancing at my wedding will always make me smile.

Bike tours with Grandpa. He sure was the sun.

The first time my best friend told me she loved me (platonically). I grew up in rough household and never really heard that before.

The day my first son was born, his eyes were closed the first few minutes even after being handled by his mom and doctors. Suddenly he opened his eyes and I was the first person he’d ever seen before. It was love at first sight. I love telling him that story to this day.

Me and my friends sitting around talking and laughing for one of the last time before university ended and we all got split up.