Smile and wave

Today in my inbox I received a mail about how to grow your business in 2009 despite the lamentable state of the economy. One of the top tips was to ensure that you come over as positive and optimistic at all times. You never let on that you might owe the tax man a billion pounds and that quite frankly things might be shit. You smile and wave, smile and wave.

I realised that I've been far from smiling and waving recently. More like scowling and flipping the bird at passers-by. So I shall now endeavour to be jolly and cheerful. Optimistic and smiley. Positive and happy.

Luckily I had a few things go sort of right today. (Ordinarily I would have inserted 'shock, horror' right there but that would be negative and sarcastic rather than chipper and bright so I won't).

For example, I took my car to be fixed and my lovely neighbour kindly came and fetched me and returned me when I had to collect it. And as said neighbour knew the mechanic, I think he had a few words on my behalf, and I was charged a grand total of £9.50 to have two fuses changed and a bunch of other things looked at. So that was good wasn't it? Had I taken it to the Ford garage we'd have to have remortgaged the house.

Also good.... My three year old wiped his own bum. This might sound as though I'm scrabbling around for things to be positive about. But this is quite a big deal. Our almost 5 year old has only just mastered this feat, but the three year old proudly demonstrated how he could do it all by himself. (In case you're wondering, it's not really a specatator sport). Now if he could just stop peeing in his pants, all would be well.

I had two new bits of business come in today and several journalists jumped at a story I put out. Always a good feeling. And I had a few others confirm that they'd meet me for coffee later this month so that I'll get to be a bona fide PR luvvie dahling for once and 'do lunch' and get dressed up and everything. (Again - reverting to my former melancholic self - I was about to say that I have no clothes to get dressed up in, but hopefully by then I'll have shed half my body weight and will fit into things I've not fitted into for years.)

Sadly, I weighed myself today and the dial seems to be stuck on the same number it was before. It's probably faulty. It was a cheap set of scales I got in Sainsburys. Either that or it's all the muscle I've built up in my marathon running sessions. Muscle weighs more than fat you know. That's probably it. I've eaten my body weight in chickpeas and beans this week, so it can't be my diet.

So you see, I can be smiley and wavey after all. Now it's just a case of maintaining it. I think Miss World contestants use vaseline on their teeth to help them hold their smiles in place. I might give it a try.