83-year-old brightens Nanaimo seniors community with daily 'smile pages'
When she first moved into the seniors community, Angie Harvey was determined to keep being productive.
"I didn’t want my life to just degenerate into sitting around waiting for meals," the 83-year-old says.
While searching for something to spark her interest online, Angie happened upon research about the health benefits of laughter.
"At this stage of life, all of us have some kind of health challenges," Angie says.
So she began gathering information and images from the internet that amused her.
"It was hard to know where to stop," she says.
It felt so good, Angie wondered how she could spread the joy.
"I started looking for the potential of doing something that would make people smile," Angie says.
The former teacher used her computer and printer to create pages of positivity and began posting one per day in the lobby of her complex.
"People will stop and say, 'Oh! That was a funny you had there,'" Angie says of the project, which she dubbed the Daily Smile Pages.
They range from the sweet – like a picture of a kitten reclining on an exercise-ball accompanied by the caption "I started a new exercise routine everyday. I do diddly-squats'" – to the more substantial, like a comical cartoon followed by text that reads "laughter lowers blood pressure and can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack."
"It also makes my day if somebody says, 'Oh, I didn’t know that,'" Angie says.
Angie’s Smile Pages have become so popular she’s earned the nickname the Smile Lady. Her positive output is so prolific, Angie’s collected her work into "Smile Books" based on different themes for people to peruse.
"I know it’s benefitting them," Angie says, referring to her research on the health benefits of being positive. "Sharing. That is one of the most important things."
Which is why Angie’s expanding her positive publishing pursuit to donate her time to make welcome cards for people moving into the Origin at Longwood senior living community in Nanaimo.
She's also creating custom birthday cards for all 202 of the complex’s current residents.
"Life is about giving," Angie says. "We’re here to share whatever knowledge we have, whatever pleasure we can give other people."
And if you strive to inspire smiles, Angie says while pointing to one of her favourite Smile Pages that shows a picture of a vibrant sunset taken from a neighbour’s balcony, you just might start noticing the world beaming right back at you.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.