Tag: happiness

“waxing nostalgic”

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Sunset from my parents’ back porch. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Nostalgia –noun: a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland, or to one’s family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

I have spent the past few days at my childhood home (the home of my parents). It is not the house that I grew up in; they have moved three times since I went off to college. But wherever they are is my childhood home.

While here, I have eaten the foods I ate as a child (I absolutely, positively LOVE my mommy’s waffles), watched the old movies that I watched as a child (has anyone seen “Blast from the Past”?), and looked at photographs of days gone by.

It is while looking at those pictures that I particularly waxed nostalgic; longing for the happiness and simplicity of my former life. Which, of course, is ironic considering how I use to wish that I was a grown-up, living away from home; a chronic problem that I have which I talk about here. Am I “wasting my days”, yet again?

The trick is to consider the elements that consisted of my childhood happiness: nutritious meals, wholesome entertainment, a clean home, nature (my mommy’s plants are not artificial), and lots of peace; and try to incorporate these very same elements into my current happy life. Which I will be nostalgic about a few years from now.

What about you? When do you find yourself “waxing nostalgic”? I guess I will be pulling out the waffle iron when I get home. I have the recipe.

friday’s “secret” – “taking a genuine interest”

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“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in the details of daily live.” -William Morris

As I was perusing the book Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (check the out the book here and where I talked about perusing the book here), I came across the above quote.

I am in total agreement with this statement.  I find that when I am particular, detailed, deliberate, and intentional, in almost all of the details of life, I enjoy life more.  When I know what I plan to accomplish that day and when I am methodical about making sure that I do it, there is a peace and satisfaction at the end of the day that leads to a feeling of contentment: a necessary element of my personal definition of happiness.

My personality lends itself to this type of “obsessive” behavior, however.  I love details, logistics, and planning.  But for others, I think, taking an interest in the minutia could  become tedious.  Thus, the quote could inspire them to take a genuine interest in those activities that they enjoy and not feel guilty about it.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

“don’t waste your days…”

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So, one thing that makes me happy is Pinterest! I LOVE Pinterest!!!! For those who don’t know, Pinterest is like a digital corkboard, where you can “pin” photos, quotes, cartoons, almost anything. I “pin” a lot. A LOT! Sometimes, I forget what I have pinned and when I see it again, I will repin it. I did that with the quote above.

I pinned it twice, on the same board, and two different days. Why? Because it is something that I have done for years! When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teenager. When I was thirteen, I wanted to be sixteen! When I was single, I couldn’t wait to be married! And I have now realized that I have wasted a lot of my life, wishing, hoping, praying for the next thing, thinking that that will be better than what I am experiencing at that time.

And it is just not true. It is true that every experience has brought a new joy, however, for me, this is a chronic problem that has robbed me of so many joys and experiences. And it is very sad when I think of all the things that I have missed experiencing to the fullest measure.

So, I am trying not to do that anymore (as much). And it might be something that I will always struggle with, but I am going to make a conscience decision each day (that I can remember) to “enjoy the now.” How are you going to “enjoy the now”?  Leave a comment below. After all, it is the only time that any of us are guaranteed.

enjoy life…

Oh! You can check out my Pinterest boards (I have several different “boards” on a variety of subjects) by clicking here.