Jennifer K. Jordan Blog

Growing up, I had a glass animal collection. I started it the first time that I went to Disneyland as child. I got a tiny pink and clear glass elephant at a store on Main Street. I loved the little animal, and I displayed it on a small glass mirror on my dresser.   For many years, each time I went to Disneyland, I got another glass animal. They were a catalogue of my youth. I had about fifteen, and I put them on the inside of a window sill in my bedroom. I smiled every time that I saw them. Sadly, when I was a teen, a housekeeper that came to our home once a week accidentally knocked all the animals off the window sill, and they broke. When I got home from school that day and saw the pile of glass on my floor, I felt devastated. Forty-five years later, I still feel sad when I think of that time. I’ll always cherish my glass animals, though, and now, at 59, I’ve learned that I’m precious, just like the glass animals were.    I didn’t always value myself or see my worth, ...

I’ve walked the same path where I live for the past twenty-eight years. After all this time, I still love it. Walking is one of my favorite pastimes, and on surveys I’ve done, I’ve often written “walking” as a favorite activity. I live on a golf course and across the street from beautiful townhomes. For my path, I head out from my condominium complex and walk down a slight hill along the golf course. Pine trees line the golf course fence, and I love watching the squirrels dart around. They dash up trees, across the street, and show their masterful balance walking across the narrow fence. Sometimes, when a dog spots them, the dog sits posed under the tree, head tilted up, and eyes glued on the squirrels above. The squirrels are smart, though. They stay frozen high up in the branches to keep themselves safe. Their tactic works. I’ve never seen one of them be a casualty to a dog. Eventually, the dog’s owner leads it away on the leash, and the dog looks dejected, since it missed its oppo...

I was always different. Instead of what most people liked, I liked something else. Instead of chocolate sundaes, I liked butterscotch. Instead of maple syrup, I liked blueberry, and instead of Coke or Pepsi, I liked root beer. As I got older, I liked art and none of the rest of my family did. I wanted to travel and see the world, and my mom was happy staying home. As an adult, I like writing and am a great observer. When I travel, I write in the Notes or Google Docs App in my phone every day. I use voice recognition and speak as I traverse various places. I want to capture my thoughts and feelings at the moment that I have them. When I get home, I write a trip diary. Some, I just keep as a souvenir for me, and others, I expand into a book. It’s my way of sharing what I learned to educate others about the people and culture I visited and to inspire others to do their dreams. Traveling is one of my dreams, and I hope that in seeing me do my dreams, it encourages others to do theirs. On...

What if there were Smile-a-Thon? Participants would get pledges from people to smile – to go five minutes, one hour, one whole day smiling. It would be a workout for the face, but so worth it. Just think what the world would be like if we all smiled and pledged to ourselves to smile? It might be a happier place. I don’t always feel like smiling, but I always feel better when I do. If I or anyone doesn’t feel like smiling, though, we can enter a Smile-a-Thon or start one. Maybe there’s never been one before, but it’s time for everyone to smile. The world needs it. It’s ailing with wars, inflation, economic angst. Perhaps we can’t change the world all at once, but we can change our face. So join me, join a Smile-a-Thon, and smile. Image Reference:  https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=228169&picture=little-smile . Accessed 20 May 2023.