I was dragging it on Monday.  Feeling like I’d just survived a battle, which was in actual fact just the first two days practise in  my yoga teacher training program.  Two hours Friday, two hours Saturday.  I was exhausted and sore to the max. 

Our housekeeper was in the kitchen doing her usual thing having arrived bright and early at her usual 7:30am to start the day.  It was now about 3pm and I was thinking of heading upstairs for a nap.  (Yeah, after my hard day…..right.)  She was whistling a tune which is her usual thing, maybe her way to pass away the hours as she works. 

While we’re all complaining, being our sometimes grouchy selves, thinking that life’s hard, not fair, too difficult, she’s here twice a week doing this tough and monotonous work.  For us.  Not in a slow or heavy way that you might think would come from having done the same thing for families here, going on some 15-20 years now. She is light in her step.  Consistently here and working as if without a care in the world.  Bright in her smile.

I asked her “how come you’re always smiling?”

Her reply? 

“What else am I going to do?”

Those of us searching for happiness.  A reason to break free from the frowns we’re carrying around for what are probably a million different reasons.  I’m taking a lesson from our dear Eli today in hopes I can learn to smile as often, as freely and as easily as she does. 

We don’t need a reason to smile.  Whatever our day brings, our life brings, we can smile with gratitude just knowing we’re still here to be in it.