What makes you smile?

I’ve been watching too much news lately. In fact I’m starting to think about going on a news detox. The economy, Conrad Murray, and now Penn State. It’s not the kind of stuff that brightens up your day, or what you want to hear at the end of a long one.  Not that I want to be out of touch, it’s just that sometimes it’s too much.

Why is our media addicted to drama? Especially the negative kind. I will credit NBC for their Making a Difference Report, that always makes me smile-but what about the rest (and why so many CSI, Dateline type shows? I know they aren’t real “news” but what’s up with the fascination with criminals?) It’s good to be informed but the media these days can really get a girl down.

And why is this getting to me? I guess it’s just one of the many things I’m looking at differently since becoming a mom.

As a new mom, my days are filled with a million joyous moments:

Playing with my daughter, watching her smile, taking walks, getting coffee with friends.

They’re also filled with not so joyous moments:

Explosive diapers, leaky boobs, exhaustion and fussiness that seems to come out of nowhere.

At the end of the day, all I want is to cuddle up with my hubby, gaze into my daughters eyes, have a glass of wine and imagine the world as a glorious and wonderful place.

The news is mostly just one big downer.

It makes me want to go back to being a kid, full of ignorant bliss, scabby knees and endless optimism.

I want my rose-tinted glasses back.

So what can I do?

I can choose what I listen to.

And I can choose what to focus my energy on.

Like the gorgeous leaves all around us this time of year, the sound of rain, a good nap.

And this peanut butter banana boat.  The peanut butter’s organic, the banana isn’t, and the chocolate chips are just plain decadent.

It made me feel like a kid again.

And that made me smile.

What little piece of goodness makes you smile during the day? How do you deal with media overload?