Happiness

Welp...On the 4th of July, I went to get a book for the CC Library Book Club, A Midsummer Nights Dream.  But after I picked it up, I saw a book that I have been wanting to read and putting off for 2 yearsish.  The first time I saw The Happiness Project was in SLC with my best friend Chelsea.  We were in Anthropology and while she tried on pretty clothes, I looked at books.  So Wednesday, I thought about which one I would rather have and The Happiness Project won.  Sorry Shakespeare.  

It has made me think, if life is about being happy then we should be really good at that, right?

If you have not taken the time to define what happiness means to you, what have your spent your whole life pursuing?  Bo Bennett 

Ugh...what indeed?  I made a list of the daily things that make me happy.  Here are just a few:

music - not a day goes by that I'm not jammin.

work - I have the best job ever.

my kiddo friends - their phone calls, calling me Gramma, etc.

friends - absolutely necessary.

food - I love making it and eating it and giving it away. not always in that order...

crafting - its amazing how you feel when you create/recreate something.

reading - give me a book and my day will get better nearly every time.

Gretchen Rubin wrote the book and takes each month to add new goals.  My first happiness month will be August, so I'm just in the prep stages, but I'm so excited that I've started some of my goals already.  I even made a chart to put star stickers on for each day I succeed in my quest for being happier.  Silly?  Lame?  Don't I know it.  But if it helps me to find more happiness, so be it.

I have been focusing on more external things thus far in my pursuit, but it should be the Internal that I focus on:

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.  Denis Waitley

I agree.  And I believe that God wants everyone to be happy.  No matter who you are or where you are in your life, that is what we're here for...Right?  Can I get a witness?

Some days you might feel like Robert Mapplethorpe when he said, "Happiness?  No.  Its not there for me."  But keep your chin up and work for it and maybe it'll come to you.  Or maybe you are meant to be sad all the time.  But I don't think that is true for anyone.  Except maybe Oscar the Grouch.  Its in his name not to be happy.

So.....Here's to beginning the quest for happiness.  Join me?  Okay fine.  Don't.  Whatever.  You know what?  I just remembered this quote:  "If you expect another person to make you happy, you'll be endlessly disappointed."  So there.  HAHA.  I'm crazy.

Welp...Happy Trails to you!!!