It's that time again to count down five things that made me smile this past week so here we go!
1. Betty White's "Off Their Rockers": I am all about "The Golden Girls." I TIVO that show and watch it whenever I'm relaxing at home and/or while I'm doing my hair before work. Those are my TV friends right up there with "Living Single" and a couple folks from "A Different World." But Betty White's new prank show entertains me far more. I can't get enough of watching these seniors play jokes on their younger victims. I rewound the old guy skateboarding at least five times and took the DVD to my grandfather's house so he could see it. Damn DVD wouldn't play in his DVD player, but I'll be back again because I want him to see it.
2. Jarod's front on "Real Housewives of Atlanta": The other guys who did the foot and hand massages and fed women strawberries were all well and good. But that's regular stuff. This Kenyan guy Jarod stepped into Kandi's shop with the kind of sexy that just doesn't show up everyday. I was honestly stunned looking at this man with his shirt off. He's got a young face and looks a little bashful, but he took that red shirt off and I paused my television. I rewound him turning around at least five times. I've seen handsome guys before, but this is that strong raw appeal. *round of applause for Jarod's parents for creating him and to whatever workout equipment he uses*
3. Jarod's back on "Real Housewives of Atlanta": I don't care that I mentioned him in #2. He deserves a separate entry just for how he takes care of the back of himself. Yes, his pants could've hid his boxer briefs a little, but they sat at a tasteful angle. Give this man a standing ovation!
I had a really long blog here, but after reading through it, I realized I could sum it up in a couple paragraphs. Outside of places where you have no control over the people you're around (ex. work, church, public retail locations), if you're around someone and they don't make you smile as soon as you see them, ask yourself this question: "If this person was no longer in my life, would I care?" If the answer is no, it may be time for you to remove yourself from that person's social circle. If the answer is yes, make it known that you like/love this person and really appreciate him/her. There are certain folks in my life that I light up when I see them. I could hang out with them all day and never get tired of them (my mother, my grandfather and my four-legged, non-human friend Faith are at the top of this list). There are others who I don't necessarily see all the time, but even if we bump heads from time to time, I'm still happy to see them the next round. There are those who I'm totally crazy about but don't see enough (location is the only factor).
And then there are those who I cringe every time I see them no matter how long it's been since I last saw them or how far/close they live. So I stopped. You realize how very quickly your mood improves when you remove yourself from folks who make you miserable. Whether it's family you feel obligated to hang with because you share blood or friends because you grew up with them and used to be cool, the million dollar question is, "Do I want to be around you now?" If you don't, don't. If you do, do. And if you don't know, it might be time to have a talk with this person to see if you can at least improve the relationship so you can put him/her on that smile list. If it doesn't work, at least you can say you tried before you burned that bridge.