Something to Brighten Even the Smoggiest of Days

The weather here is a little bit frightful, as in the inversion of smog is slowly killing us all. (Optimism is my middle name.) (I just heard we were ranked the most unhealthy air in America.) This tends to cause me to be a bit grouchy; however, last night I was reminded of the healing quality of Miss America. Ever since I was in college, we have been watching the pageant. Even if we were gone, we faithfully recorded the pageant, baked up some treats and sat back for the drama to unfold. Saturday morning I awoke at 6:30 am, looked out the window at the smog, shook my head and flipped on the t.v. To my delight, a show called Countdown to the Crown was on. (It has challenges for the contestants to perform to earn a chance to be in the top 15 at the pageant.) (How fun, I know!) I spent three and a half magical hours cheering the girls on to win a golden sash. It was a perfect bonding time with the contestants, and so when I arrived to watch the pageant I knew who I wanted to win, and more importantly who I didn't want to win. Unfortunately, my picks did not win, but it was still delightful.

Every time we watch the pageant, we reminisce about our all time favorite Miss America winner. We watched this clip every time we were feeling down. Once we popped it in our day was always a little brighter. The enthusiasm, the up and down movement, the dropping of the earring, and the eyes popping out; it all leads me to grin every time I see it. And so when you're feeling down on the smoggiest of days, just take a look at this little delight.