Magic Tabs and Dancing Flowers

While I did not coin the phrase "It's the simple things in life that make us happiest," I'm definitely a big fan of this concept.  That's why I have been enjoying reading The Book of Awesome, based on the blog 1000 Awesome Things.

Reading the book yesterday, I discovered something new -- there's a tab on the end of aluminum foil boxes to lock the roll in place.  Don't believe me?  If you're at home (or if your company has a well-stocked break room), go check. *waits patiently for you to go check*  If this is new to you like it is to me, where have we been all this time?  How many countless hours have we wasted trying to re-roll the foil when it plops out onto the floor at inopportune moments?  If you already knew about this magic tab, why have you never shared this nugget of awesome with me?!?

Awesome!

It's amazing how little simple things can brighten our day.  For instance, my mentor teacher gave me this solar-powered flower as a thank-you gift.

Her teenage daughter saw it at the Dollar Tree and said "I think Mrs. Self would like this." (Yes, she called me "Mrs. Self")  It has a small solar panel, like those on calculators, and it gently bobs back and forth.  The leaves go up and down while the flower sways left to right.

Big deal, right?  It IS a big deal, because this little $1 plastic flower makes me smile whenever I see it.  Right now, it sits on my end table beside my couch, under a lamp that's usually on, so no matter what's going on that day -- good, bad, boring, or exciting -- it just keeps on dancing.

I'm not going to get all philosophical on you, but there's something comforting about that cheerful little flower, be-bopping all day long.  And I take pleasure in that simple little thing.