Happy Little Smiles

For our prompt of “Quokka” today, I made a sketch of a Quokka and her little baby with some flowers. I just love these little critters. Their sweet faces always look like they are wildly happy to be here and it’s impossible to avoid smiling myself when looking at photos of them. I’ve never met one in person, but it would be a fabulous experience, I’m sure. Though the faces on these tiny creatures seems to be plastered with a permanent smile, it’s actually their friendly demeanor that completes them and gives them the moniker of “the happiest animal in the world.” That’s quite something. I’m generally pretty happy most days, but I don’t think I can sustain that level of happiness all of the time. That said, whenever I smile or laugh, my happiness level shoots upward. So, I think that quokkas are simply here to remind the rest of us to spend more time smiling and enjoying the world around us!

Philippe and I have been spending quite a bit of time at home this winter and mostly indoors. While this also brings a lot of cozy moments that I cherish, it can get a bit dull, as our pup Elliott will be the first to tell you. However, these past few days have been a bit warmer and there are signs of spring showing up in places. There was a lovely patch of purple wildflowers that we saw the other day. They came up a bit too early as there was another cold snap and freezing temperatures the day after that. Yet, when we walked by that same spot yesterday, they were still there, even larger than before, and blooming proudly. Though it was admittedly a silly and simple thing, it filled my heart with glee. For much of the winter, everything is gray and there isn’t much color. To see a sparkling sea of purple wildflowers was a beautiful and welcome sight to see. It made me smile all of the way back to our house.

Our dog Elliott tends to smile a lot, or at least the cute and dopey dog equivalent, complete with tongue flopping out to one side. Seeing him grinning up at me always makes me feel a bit lighter, no matter how much stress I just endured that day. While I was waiting for Philippe to pick me up at work, I saw lots of people roaming about on the street. Not one of them was smiling, though one looked fairly content and less surly than the rest of the passerby. In that moment, I wondered what would happen if a group of little quokkas appeared. Would there be anyone on the street who wouldn’t immediately brighten up at the sight of them? Surely, that wouldn’t be possible! Then I got a little lost in my own imagination as I pictured an entire quokka parade marching down the street, complete with a drum section. That’s not likely to happen, to be sure, but simply imagining it made me feel more joyful. I was instantly relaxed and even the gray sky seemed to get a touch bluer. There’s really nothing better in life than seeing happy little smiles.

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Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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