A List Of Smiles #WeeklySmile

#WeeklySmile 3 Minutes

pink roses I am a natural smiler. That means I smile all the time. When I was a teen living in the US, about to move to France, I was advised not to smile in public in Paris, that this would be dangerous for me. Well, it might be dangerous if you cast sexy smiles at strange men, but generally a smile will be greeted with a smile even in France.

Now, I live in Paris, and it is true that there are many people who lack the smiling face. I suppose some are not all that happy, others just aren’t smilers but are still happy, and there are those that show their true emotions, after all so many people do try to hide behind a smile.

This week many things have made my constant smile (I am not hiding behind it) grow a bit wider. Here is a non-exhaustive list:

Strangers. As I am someone who smiles a lot, people in the street smile back at me, give me a nod, or sometimes even say “Bonjour”. Some people go a bit further, there is for example a security guard at an embassy who always asks me how I am doing, he calls out “ça va” once I am in his earshot. There are the people who stop to smile at little one and comment on her scooter. Often times these strangers talk to us as though we have always known one another, it sure is a nice thing in such a big city. Then there is our butcher, another stranger, but one who I talk to quite often, so a bit less of a stranger, not that I am a big meat eater, but we buy our eggs there too. He always tries to get a smile from little one, it does not work all the time, but when it does it makes my smile grow a bit more too. It sometimes really feels like a village.

Enthusiastic Students. This week I had the pleasure of working with an ever smiling student, motivated to learn more. It was a sort of bonus smile. But she was not the only one, another one of my students showed much more engagement and enthusiasm than usually, it made me smile a bit more, and work felt less like work and more like fun.

These two posts made me smile too: Gulara sharing some motherhood anecdotes, as did Rowena. Maybe these posts will make you smile too.

My blog. I did not post during 3 whole days this week!!!! And I am smiling about that? Well not about that, but about the fact that even though I have been a bit more absent my blog is now starting to have a life on it’s own. The dip in views on those days was not too bad. (Yes, I am a stats nerd…) It also looks as though I am approaching my unofficial goal of getting the 1000views/month either by today or tomorrow. (Again, I am a bit of a stats nerd, sorry).

A guest post. I am doing my 3rd guest post on Monday, and the first one of this year, I’ll be sharing my New Year’s resolutions on Melanie’s blog.

An email by a friend. I replied to a friend’s New Year’s greeting and well he wrote back all excited about finding my blog, I had included a link to my blog in my signature.

I have also been smiling about the success of this beautiful new series #weeklysmile I do think that Trent’s brainchild has a lot of potential. You should join in too, it’s a weekly linkup that runs from Wednesday till Wednesday and an occasion to share some smiles. Here is this weeks post. Even if it was a week with a lot of bad news, you might want to join with your smile, or start smiling through the reading of the other posts.

© Solveig Werner 2016. All rights reserved.

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20 thoughts on “A List Of Smiles #WeeklySmile”

      1. Yes, I’m toying whether to join the fun. Probably in a month or two when little one starts going to nursery part-time. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy your reflections.

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  2. Yes, I too am a smiler. I smile at people as I walk my laps along my waterfront and up through town. People chat with me. I get to pet the dogs being walked. Being out and about in the fresh air brings a smile to my face. I LOVE it! I enjoyed your post!

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  3. I can tell reading your blog that you are someone who smiles a lot. In fact, I usually smile when I read your blog 🙂 I had read that I shouldn’t smile in Paris, that I’d either be thought an idiot or that I was looking for sex. I did smile when I was there, and like with you, people smiled back. Your blog is doing great! I’m slightly ahead in views, but I’ve been blogging for over a year longer.

    I hope you have a great week! Thanks for the smiles!

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    1. I have been lousy at replying to comments lately, and not good with posting daily either, still that won’t make me lose my smile.
      I am now always on the lookout to make sure that I remember those smiles. Well I should not them down all the time. I think that this linky will grow over time, we all have things that make us smile. Like I said to Gwynn in one of the comments above, smiles are like yawns… just smiles are better 🙂

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      1. I like that, “smiles are like yawns… just smiles are better”. 🙂 that’s great, and hopefully they are catching. If not, it is OK going on with just the core group.
        There are times I want to just walk away from the blog for two or three days, not answer comments, not post, not read anything…. but no matter how busy I am I seem to always come back and participate. Oh well, I guess I’m addicted 😉

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        1. Ah, I have had days where I don’t blog, but I have managed to sneak in a read here or there, like in September I made sure to read your story even though I was not present in the blogosphere. Now, the last weekend of January I might disappear for a little moment, but who knows, I might have good free wifi where I am going. As I am leaving the country for 3 days I won’t have the luxury of my mobile internet.

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          1. OK, if I don’t see you for a few days I won’t worry too much. And thanks again for being one of the small handful that actually read through The Halley Branch!

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    1. Well I don’t make the most out of it I guess. But that’s like a rule. I have put up some travel posts about Paris, and should definitely do some more, but for that I have to go on some more adventures.

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  5. Thanks for the shout out Solveig. We had a lot of smiling when our son arrived home. Missed him more than I’d expected.
    I remember going out walking and shopping with my kids when they were small and being stopped by old ladies letting me how special it was to see a Mum out with their kids. This just reminded me of a poem I wrote about going for a walk with my son called Little Man and Mum about how I think he walks too slow and I walk too fast for him. He is almost 12 now and says I’m too slow. How times have changed.
    Even going to the butcher sounds exotic in Paris!
    By the way, did you read about how Trent saw a car with antlers last week. It made me think of you. We still have our Christmas tree up. It hasn’t come close to dying yet and I couldn’t put a fresh looking tree out for council pick-up. It can wait. This we’ll see it off next weekend.
    Take care xx Rowena

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    1. You are welcome Rowena! I felt that I should give you one, after all your post made me smile 🙂
      Actually, going to the butcher is like living in a tiny village, once I thought that I did not have enough money (and I had lost my bankcard), he said that he’d just jot down what I owe him, and that I’d pay the next time, well I did have enough money. I live in a very residential neighbourhood so you quickly get to know some people. I am one of the rare moms out with her child (most kids have a nanny in our area and some go to nursery), I do get the hold ladies telling me to make the most of the time with my child. One even told me that she loved being a grandmother as she could finally enjoy the kids being small, as she had no time for her own kids…
      My parent’s tree went dry way too quickly, but it held on to its needles.

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  6. Same here. Good to know that if you and I passed each other on the street, we’d probably end up having coffee together! 😀
    Congrats on your blog stats too. I’m a little further than the 1000/day number but hopefully I’ll manage to improve it.

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    1. Wow those are impressive stats, maybe one day I’ll get there. Well I am working on having this blog grow.
      I think we would definitely end up taking a whole day 🙂

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  8. Pingback: If we were having coffee – 23/01/2016 | Solveig Werner

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