Tag: happiness

a life “brimming with” books

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On Friday, I talked about how pathetic it was to wish for things that I could have and I asked  what you were going to be intentional about doing.

First, I was so overwhelmed and humbled by the response that I received. Thank you so much for reading. And another thank-you to all those who took the time to post replies/comments in the comment section. I get a special thrill of happiness when I see those so keep them coming.

Well, on to the rest of the post…Allow me to share what I did this weekend.

One of the things that I have wished that I could do was spend more time in one of my favorite places, Barnes & Noble, sipping a hot beverage on a cool (or coolish), fall day. That’s what I did. I skimmed the new book, Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin. The first book that I read by her, The Happiness Project, is in large part responsible for this blog and quickly became one of my favorite books. Check it out here.

While there I asked whether the Starbucks had apple cider. It is a seasonal thing, usually reserved for the fall and I didn’t know if it was too early. It wasn’t! The barista recommended spiced caramel apple cider. It was sooooooo good. And such a simple pleasure that I WILL be including in my life more often.

I loved my weekend and realized even more the need to add simple pleasures, intentionally, into my life on a regular basis.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault

enjoy life…

friday’s “secret” – “surround yourself with precisely those things”

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How many, many times have I said to myself, “Self, I wish I had…” And I am not talking about a thing, necessarily; like a new car, a nicer house, etc. I am talking about wishing for things that I COULD have.

The quote above (and its author is unknown to me) speaks of leading  “fascinating life – one brimming with art, music, and intrigue, and romance.”  I do not necessarily want a life of “intrigue” but he or she does make an interesting point.  In order to have what we want, we have to be intentional about placing those things in our lives every day.

To use the quotes example,  if I want my life to be “brimming” with music, I need to turn on the radio, plug-in the iPod, do something to hear more music.  If I am wishing for a more peaceful existence,  I need to find an exercise that alleviates stress (yoga perhaps; there are routines on YouTube), and instead of watching that TV show which won’t matter in the morning at all, I should go to sleep.  If I wish for a more orderly home,  I should spend 15 minutes each evening, putting things back in their proper place.

It is a sad and pathetic thing, when I wish for things that I could have; especially things that cost little to no money at all and just require a little intention.

So what are you going to do, intentionally, this weekend…

enjoy life…

friday’s “secret” – “you have to want to be happy.”

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You have to want to be happy.

I posted the title, the quote, and restated the quote again because it could not be more true.  You have to WANT to be happy.  Truly want it.  Because if you want it, truly want it, you won’t let anything stop you from being so.

My hubby has told me before that when it comes our little tiffs that we get into, that he will often asks himself, “do I want to be right? Or do I want to be happy?”  He more often than not chooses to be happy over right. Of course, I do not necessarily agree with this, obviously, but it does bring up an interesting point.

Except, perhaps, in the most extreme circumstances,  happiness is something that you choose.  Despite your circumstances, you can say to yourself, “I want to be happy.  What do I need to do, in order to be happy?”  And once you know, you can go about making the necessary adjustment: choosing happiness over bitterness, having that ice cream cone, exercising for the day, cleaning out your closet…the list could go on and on.

So, my question is, and answer honestly: do you want to be happy?

Enjoy life…