practice 'Happiness Manifesto' periodically

some HM things i’ve been doing ... not sure if they count … here they are. you can decide if the are legit:

• In the past month, I’ve been watering already existing house plants we have once a week. It’s been a long while since I’ve been devoted to watering my green babies. They are perking up again … um … those which have survived the drought. :/
• Invited a friend I haven’t seen in awhile to see, “Menopause: The Musical,” the other night. We had a blast. Afterwards, we went out for decaf coffee and a treat and got to catch up with each other.
• Had a good laugh at “Menopause …” It’s very silly, very true and informative!
• Added this goal to 43T: call out to all here at 43T to help young Chantell Mallory fight breast cancer Chantell is a classmate of my nephew.

1. Feeling a slight lift in energy, after feeling down for these past several months;
2. Having a supportive husband, who understands my need to grieve. On his own, he will embrace me when I’m sobbing.
3. Last night, seeing my husband tear-up during a moving scene in “Thin Red Line.” He may be fine with my crying, but not his own;
4. Making contact with a couple of people who seem willing to give me direction on how to grow in my career skills/knowledge by 15 percent this year;
5. The vast world of the internet … so many reasons.

• Smiling at strangers or talking to them.

It’s been more than six months since I’ve updated this wonderful goal, “Happiness Manifesto.”

Because this goal is so overarching in one’s life, I’ve moved it to the top of my 43T list. Eventually, I hope to clean up my 43T list by prioritizing those goals which fit under one of the ten HM points.

I hope this doesn’t bother anyone, but I’m re-posting the ten HM points here (no LJ-cuts here … that I know of):

1. Get physical. Exercise for half an hour three times a week.
2. Count your blessings. At the end of each day, reflect on at least five things you’re grateful for.
3. Talk time. Have an hour-long uninterrupted conversation with your partner or closest friend each week.
4. Plant something. Even if it’s a window box or pot plant. Keep it alive!
5. Cut your TV viewing by half.
6. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger. At least once each day.
7. Phone a friend. Make contact with at least one friend or relation you have not been in contact for a while and arrange to meet up.
8. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
9. Every day make sure you give yourself a treat. Take time to really enjoy this.
10. Daily kindness. Do an extra good turn for someone each day.

today i am grateful for:

• finally being able to write a thank-you note to the woman who officiated our mother’s small GR memorial. what an incredible woman. she is the hospice chaplain and got to know my mother in six months, plus from all of our stories about mom. this woman brought together a wide variety of religious philosophies to honor our mom. it was beautiful. really. when the service was over, we hugged and i asked her if i could take her with us to the big west coast memorial.

• talking to sis2 and working through the painful aftermath of our angst-filled sunday. it felt really good. email isn’t always the best way to communicate, ‘cause she completely misconstrued what i was attempting to say. gotta talk on the phone more often, it seems.

• receiving a phone call from the hospice social worker to see how i was doing with my mother’s death. we talked awhile, and we figured out a way my sisters can benefit from hospice since they live so far away.

• knowing my husband will be arriving home tomorrow! this is the longest we’ve been apart. saturday to wednesday. short time to some. long time for us.

• no line at the post office this morning, leaving me just enough time to pick up our “mail on hold” and send off an important letter before heading into work.

today i am grateful for:

• Propelling back into work with a light load.
• An incredibly wonderful husband, who, again, has taken on the dirty work. He’s still out west organizing my mom’s storage units so our family can easily pick up what they want in the fall.
• My old boss for responding to my comment, “Sorry, for babbling on today,” with, “It’s all right. You’re processing everything.” He has always been like a young dad to me, keeping a protective wing around me.
• My childhood friend who has been so supportive throughout my mother’s illness and now beyond. She is a dear woman, with a big, big, big heart.
• All the cards, emails, phone calls, quick chats in passing while at work … people giving their condolences.

today i am grateful for:

• all the thoughtful notes you all at 43T sent since my mother started actively dying and since she died. i wish i had let you all know sooner of her passing. it wasn’t easy for so many reasons. i am grateful for your patience and your well wishes.

• having an incredibly supportive husband who has been by my side through this entire journey of helping my mom … and we were just newlyweds.

• a relative whom i’ve grown close to, who has shown how beautiful a person she is and given much emotional support.

• having a full day to rest, organize, regroup before going back to work tomorrow.

• my little kitty who has missed us … showing her love by following me around the house or crying out for me when she felt lost in another room.

today i am grateful for:

• http://balut.43people.com/">balut recommending the book, “Mind Performance Hacks : Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain (Hacks)” by Ron Hale-Evans. it looks like an excellent book for someone like me who can become impassioned in many different directions.
• having great belly laughs reading the farewell spoof for a colleague who is retiring. the humor was plentiful and truth. she is one hilarious individual. this spoof brings back some great memories as well as sharing other antics.
• my husband and i went out for a long, quick-paced walk. that familiar 1.2 mile-trek one way to Starbuck’s.
• having a solid discussion on design with both a colleague and my husband.
• re-realizing i need to pare down my focus and stop bouncing around from one intriguing idea to the next. how can i accomplish anything when i enjoy so much. gotta find some priorities. not easy to do. well, dancing is one of them … if i’d just do it!

today i am grateful for:

• realizing the yucca i planted in my Midwest garden is in full bloom. a reminder of my desert upbringing.
• having a few minutes to listen to a friend’s CD … she wrote the lyrics, composed the music though can’t read music and sang along with a band in what seems like a high-quality studio recording. she sounds wonderful, the lyrics are great.
  go, Ms. M, go!
• trying one of those diabetic nutritional drinks today, which kept my blood-sugar levels steady for three and a half hours, in time for dinner.
• indulging in chocolate ice cream. (yeah, yeah … i see the contradiction.)
• watching a whacky movie, “Big Trouble in Little China,” with my husband.

today i am grateful for:

• learning that a healthy co-worker survived that horrific drug-resistant staph infection spreading across the U.S., community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). like many others, my co-worker was near death, but the doctors knew figured out what it was and gave him the right type of antibiotic. The June 26, 2006 issue of Time magazine has an article about this staph infection and how to avoid it.

• feeling well and energetic all day, even though i had a bout of insomnia last night.

• receiving genuine kudos from a co-worker.

• finding a diabetic nutritional drink (i’m not diabetic, but get low-blood sugar) while grocery shopping. gonna test it out and see if it can help me through those bouts of low-blood sugar when i don’t have protein around—like at work. (i’m probably better off with a lunch-sized serving of tunafish … but want to try this drink.)

• finding a natural lipstick (lip balm) that adds a subtle color to ones lips.

today i am grateful for:

• having a positive re-entry into work after vacation. it was a good day; i was productive … even though i was a bit ADD.
• my husband sending me out the door to work with the following words: “A star is born. Come on. Your fans are waiting for your arrival.” He was being loving. Not facetious. It was a happy send-off.
• taking the stairs at work—both up and down.
• back to having my daily smoothie … yum!
• a co-worker giving me her June 26 issue of Time magazine . it’a pithy issue. Not just a beautiful cover.

today i am grateful for:

• sleeping in.
• having a full day to decompress from our week out west. both my husband and i are feeling exhausted today.
• a good friend of my mom’s called, since we missed each when i was out west. he called to catch up and send his love to my mom.
• calling another good friend of my mother’s while visiting my mom this afternoon. the two of them had a great conversation. my mom’s comments/answers were limited to simple words/phrases, yet if one didn’t know one would believe my mother had complete control/comprehension during the conversation. the give away: Mom said she would love to visit with her friend in the next day or so. her friend lives out west; while mom is here in michigan. nevertheless, the conversation was what mom needed. she perked up from it.
• taking a nighttime walk with my husband at his initiation. the weather has cooled off today, so the night air is perfect.