I didn’t find this great Smiley. It was found by a stranger I’d just met. She came upon me photographing a car’s tail lights. She asked me what I could possibly find that was photo-worthy in a tail light. I showed her the Smiley Face and explained all about the project, and about looking for reasons to smile, and about choosing to be an optimist, and about A SMILEY BOOK OF COLORS (we were still selecting which photos would go in the book), and about raising money for Operation Smile. Actually, she was an enthusiastic listener, so eager to see the good, the happy, the playful, that I told her everything.
She went of with a smile on her face and my Spontaneous Smiley business card in her pocket. A few minutes later I see her running toward me waving her hands and hollering, “I found one. I found one!” She dragged me down the street and pointed out her discovery saying, “I don’t have my camera, so I had to come get you!!”
And that is how Balloon Smiley was captured and later included in my first children’s book! Balloon Smiley gets a mention for Balloon Day on August 20th. If you haven’t signed up to get a Smiley-a-Day, it’s easy. And, not that I ever would–but I have no idea how one goes about sharing your info, so it’s totally safe!