find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday for a year

I haven’t logged in to record my “happiness list” here in a long while, but I’m still making note of these things everyday. I post a lot of my joys on Facebook so I can share them with people I know. And I share others with my family when we gather for dinner and take a few minutes before we eat to talk about the things we’re grateful for.

I’m starting to notice more and more small things that make me happy. Like today, the sky was so beautiful right after it rained. The little things really do matter when you can find joy in them.

This purposeful practice has made me much more aware of any negativity I’m harboring and many times more conscious of the infinite number of things that connect with the source of happiness inside me—I just have to notice them and then I can appreciate the joy they bring.

—taking steps to NOT repeat the fiasco of this evening; seeing the error of my ways and being honest about my flaws

—surprising the kids with a bag of goodies for VDay

—the kids playing and getting some fresh air outside despite the cold

—setting some priorities that I am JOYFULLY going to focus on, even though it will be challenging; I know I can do it

—writing in my sleeping diary all week

—my attentive and romantic husband who surprised me with my favorite “fancy” chocolates, my favorite German wine, a novel by one of my favorite authors, and a bouquet of beautiful wildflowers; his thoughtfulness on many levels warmed my heart; thank you!

—Jay’s comment, accompanied by a deep hug: “You are more than a mom to me, you are a goddess.” I totally don’t feel that I deserve such praise from my beautiful, spirited daughter, but I will Accept her gift with Love and Gratitude; may always I do my very best to be worthy of her respect and affection

—sleeping with the comfort of knowing that All Is Well, even though it was a most decidedly physically uncomfortable sleep; at least it was restful mentally

—enjoying a delicious, relaxing meal for VDay with the family

—having flexible, understanding kids that were willing to adapt to a new activity when the first one flopped (damn crooked bowling lanes!!)

—the sounds and sights of my kids playing with the excitement and joy

—DH joining the kids to play “scare me”, with shrieks of delighted surprise as a result

—the impromptu shopping trip that supported a goal of mine; dh made a sacrifice of his time and sleep to help me accomplish this

—being in a loving partnership in which both people are deeply committed to hearing and understanding one another, even as things change and get confusing sometimes

—chatting online with an old acquaintance; was I laughed with or laughing at? not sure, but it lightened my mood

—realizing that I need more interaction with other people even if it is just casual and occasional; it doesn’t always have to be a deep or meaningful correspondence in order to get some benefit

—greeting the sun as it rose

—being prepared for the day (so BIG for me!)

—getting to know a new friend

—putting together a healthy meal FAST

—enjoying lots of interest, diverse conversation

—having DH by my side

—no major issues that stressed me or gave me lingering worries

—Ala playing with a friend

—taking initiative to get the house straightened up

—talking with a long-time friend; we finally got our phones synched up

—connecting with a potential new friend; we talked for over an hour on the phone and it was enjoyable

—noticing how much better I felt physically and mentally after connecting with others today

—Jay rushing in to ask me what she could do to help around the house; she said she was feeling “very generous” lol

—taking a tiny nap that actually gave me a big boost of energy and mental stamina

—going to bed for the night when I felt tired, even though there were things still on my to-do list; I listened to my body!

—support from DH about my goals for tomorrow

—getting a lot done and not stressing about the rest

—the fantastic windstorm and the heavy rain; there were scary moments but it was really interesting!

—making it through the day without losing my cool; hey sometimes that’s an accomplishment

—finally watching the movie “Burn After Reading”; it wasn’t what I thought it would be like but it was good

—going to be at a reasonable time (well, reasonable for me, especially lately)

—DH coming up with a very thoughtful, considerate suggestion today

—finding the right words to express appreciation for his thoughtfulness even when his plan didn’t work out so well

—the wonderful evening weather tonight; it was breezy but comfortable and there was something ‘in the air’; listening to the sounds and the smell of the wind reminded me of traveling to new places

—my two sweet, awesome kids reading books to each other at bedtime

—stumbling upon information that resulted in a MAJOR lightbulb moment

—watching the movie “Righteous Kill” with DH; the movie was okay, but getting the opportunity to watch a movie together was a treat

—discovering that two of my close friends just got the same cell phone as me, meaning we can use the built-in, proprietary messaging app with each other; the last 2 days I’ve thought to myself several times, “gee, I wish I could use this to stay in touch with more people!” and then just like that the universe delivered!

—keeping my sense of humor and patience despite my funky mood today

—adding three more goals; my list is really coming together strong and I’m so pleased that it’s full of meaningful, nitty-gritty, life-improving goals

—have a ton of cheers to use on other people’s entries and goals; I like cheering on all sorts of people, the new folks and the regulars who cheer me on

—reminiscing about my trip to the FL Keys and daydreaming about places I’d like to visit

—staying on budget for three weeks straight!

—the kids playing together so well all day; more harmony and less stress is always GOOD

—taking a ‘lazy’ day to recover from all the events and excitement of the weekend

—being there to support my sister when she had the BIG talk with mom; relief that she finally knows and how she was really cool about the whole thing

—enjoying a good meal with close family; finally getting my craving for that zesty soup satisfied!

—keeping my promise to the kids to do something FUN! despite the hurdles

—bowling for the first time in years, even though I came in LAST!! I had a good time and I think everyone else did, too and not just because they all beat me!

—laughing a lot at DH and his funny stories and the zany things he says

—an onslaught of stomach pain hit me out of the blue and had me doubled over in tears at one point but I am happy that it went away and I was able to participate in our long-planned adventures

—watching the 4th episode of the L Word and chit-chatting with my best friend about it as if we were big gossip queens (we aren’t, but it’s fun when it’s imaginary characters on tv!)

—catching another installment of United States of Tara and still loving it just as much as the first one; I’m so glad the series is just as good as the promo, sometimes the best work goes into the first episode and it’s a downhill ride from there but not this show! Toni Collette ROCKS it!

—stumbling across a goal on someone else’s page that gave me an ah-ha! sort of moment; as a result I added a new, important goal about staying in my center more often which is the root of soooo many things I’m trying to work on and be more aware of

—getting a wonderful abundance of birthday wishes in so many different formats: phone calls, voice mails, texts, online posts, cards, and instant messaging; good wishes just blanketed me from all around today, awwww!

—discovering that the clothes I wanted to wear on my ‘date’ were already washed & put away thanks to my vigilance earlier in the week; no need to do laundry at the last minute!

—my generous sister who stayed with my children this evening and knowing that they were being well cared for so I could enjoy my night out without worry

—spending a lovely, relaxing evening with my husband, just the two of us, to celebrate my birthday and kick-off our new monthly date nights

—finally receiving the books I ordered from Amazon a long time ago

—hearing from an old friend who looked me up on facebook; what a trip! It’s nice to learn that old friends are doing well

—eating two of my most favorite foods in one night, lobster bisque and chocolate ganache! YUM!

—returning home safely to a warm house and two peacefully sleeping children

—getting most of the long list of things on my daily list checked off

—taking steps to remedy our banking situation; being PROactive instead of REactive for once!

—managing to take a short, short nap that was restorative and restful

—the message from in which she explained her determination to support my health-improvement efforts and what steps she’d already taken of her own initiative, without me even asking (meaning she HEARD me and CARES – two biggies!)

—the phone call confirming that yes indeed I do have an appt with the doctor I’ve been waiting months to get in to see!