Written by Ashley Lopez

I was reflecting on having accessible happiness in moments of sadness. What does accessible happiness mean to me? Things or activities that never fail to make you smile immediately. What makes you smile?

Hi everyone, welcome back to Ashley Spills. Ashley, here. You can check out my other posts here.

A smile can go a long way. Even if you’re fake-smiling, at least the world thinks you’re okay and you can have your privacy to feel whatever it is you want to feel. I got to thinking about what makes me smile so I can have my “go-to happiness” ready when I need it.

What makes you smile: My list

Music

Ahh, music. The sweet melodies that kiss my ears are always available for me. Always listening to what I need when I need it. I cannot imagine my life without it and when I listen, I am simply happy. I feel like the artist I’m listening to is there for me, whether they know it or not. Some artists are able to put my feelings into words without even knowing me and it blows my mind. Music makes this big world feel so small when you know you can relate to someone who is so global.

Pretending I’m performing on a stage

Okay, this is pretty embarrassing to share, but here I go. Every day, since I as long as I can remember, I fantasize about being a performer. Whether it’s a dancer or a singer, there I am pretending, playing and living out my dream that will never be reality (because let’s face it, I cannot dance nor sing LOL) in my room or wherever I am alone. See, having fantasies are the absolute best and when I’m pretending, I am always smiling

The ocean

The deep blue heightens my curiosity to unmeasurable levels. I’d like to say I’m comfortable in the water, but the sea still scares me. It’s a mysterious thing that I desire to explore. When I’m at the beach, I yearn for more. I want to know what’s in there; in the blue that I cannot see through. It makes me so happy that it has led me to want to enhance my skills and knowledge of being one with the ocean (scuba certification coming, hopefully, this year).

Listening to people speak a different language

I love getting enriched by other cultures and hearing people speak anything other than English is so appealing to me. I speak English and Spanish, but even when I listen to Spanish, my heart begins to leap. What leaves me in complete awe is learning and seeing how other people communicate. I have so much to learn and knowing there are thousands of languages around the world is just entirely mindboggling and I see how behind I really am, yet, I still smile.

Stars

I don’t admire these as often as I should, but when the night sky is sprinkled with bright twinkles, I feel so warm inside. When I look at stars, I feel the world slow down a bit and everything feels… just perfect

I encourage you to make a list of five things that make you smile. Why do they make you smile? Can you depend on these things? Are they accessible via nature, the internet, your home, etc. in the snap of two fingers? Everyone needs a moment of happiness now-a-days, even if it’s just for a short while.

Remember, loving yourself means understanding that it’s okay to want to be happy. Again, do what makes you smile.

Thanks for reading, xo.