Friday, February 22, 2008

quirky is the new black

Recently I stumbled upon a pair of puppet mittens. They are very well worn, but still plenty warm. Everytime I look at them, I smile. While I was sitting at a stoplight just the other day, I noticed some commotion in the car next to mine. Looking over- a nice man was staring, laughing, and pointing at my mittens. I realized it probably looks pretty silly to see these two puppets perched on top of my steering wheel or being used as the tools for smoothing back my hair. I just smiled and waved as the light turned green.

It makes me happy to know I can make someone smile by being quirky. If you've ever lived in a Minnesota-type climate for the entire winter season, you'd realize it takes a toll on people. The gray gloom we wake up to and drive home from work in- gets depressing. People start to get this zombie-like expression on their faces as they perform their daily tasks on auto-pilot. A sense of meaninglessness and life without purpose finally begins to settle in with people. As we scurry like mice from our warm cars to our warm houses or into the warm stores, our Vitamin D depletes, our skin gets dry and pasty, and all our outdoor plans are put on hold until it's above zero degrees again. A smile helps! It breaks up the routine and puts a spring in the step. Make someone smile today- they'll probably pass it on and it will eventually get back to you.

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