1. A People’s Choir
A People’s Choir is a monthly group sing-a-long hosted by The Delicious, an artist collective based in Portland, Oregon. I had the joy of participating in their Valentine’s session while visiting my sister in the Northwest. Who could stop themselves from smiling while belting out “You Can’t Hurry Love” with twenty other people?
Paige and Decoteau, two of the organizers of A People’s Choir. Portland, Oregon. February 2012
2. My lizard
I got a leopard gecko this year and I’ve quickly become one of those people who likes to talk about her pet even though it probably doesn’t interest most people. He’s difficult to get quality pictures of and even if I could, it wouldn’t capture one of his best features: sticky gecko feet!
3. Running to “Shake It Out” by Florence + the Machine
You can’t top the lyrics, “And it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back, so shake him off” for a break-up song, but beyond that, I love the feeling of these beats with my feet hitting concrete.
My town and running grounds. Duncannon, PA. July 2012
4. Seasons changing
Whether it was the appearance of glimmering lightning bugs in summer, a painter’s palette splashed across the mountains in autumn, or the more recent snow-sprinkled arrival of winter, Perry County has been a wonderful place to watch Mother Nature do her thing.
Perry County foliage, October 2012
Little Juniata Creek on a snowy day. Duncannon, PA. December 2012
5. Positive reminders
Small affirmations of the beauty of life arrived in many forms—handwritten letters from a friend, artwork from a local business, or the messages on Yogi tea:
So what about you? What made you smile in 2012?
People’s Choir makes me smile over and over again. I even smile when I tell people about it. We are all just tickled that it made your list.
I’m so glad I made it to one while Summer still lived out there! There’s so much about preschool that should be carried into adulthood. Sing-a-longs are one of them. I also loved dancing with the kids when I worked at Head Start. Many of the other teachers didn’t do it!
You should Youtube Katherine McPhee’s performance of Shake It Off on the tv show Smash (which you should also watch – I think the whole first season is available on Hulu). I love Florence but I actually prefer Katherine’s version (Florence’s is probably better to run to, Katherine’s is better to sing along with).
Yeah I watched it because you suggested it when I put some of the Shake it Off lyrics on Facebook. I’ll try again but so far I like Florence better