{My Happiness Project} Happy Memories Jar

So you may remember from way back when that I'm doing a year long Happiness Project. I haven't posted any updates since November! Crazy. During December, I abandoned blogging to see how life felt without blogging. It was a nice relief to have that weight off my shoulders for a few weeks. But I realized by mid-January that I missed blogging. I started to notice all these things I wanted to share. I'm gradually getting back into blogging and I'm ready to start sharing my Happiness Project with the world again....

Miggy and I have started a Happy Memories Jar in our home. Every time we have a good day or a lovely little moment we've write it down on a piece of paper. When we have a steady home (where we can buy a pretty jar and no worry about having to package it for another move), we will drop our little paper into the Happy Memory Jar. For the time being, we're transient folk so we do thinks a little differently. We're using a bright yellow envelope to hold our happy memories!

This little exercise is helping me keep my eyes open for wonderful simple things in life and taking the time to reflect on these simple things makes them feel even more special. I'm so excited to look back through these slips of paper in 20 years and remember all these wonderful little moments that would have faded away into the past. If you decide to make a Happy Memory Jar too, take a picture and email it to me! I'd love to see it :D

Have a wonderful week :D

{My Happiness Project} Creating Beautiful Letters

What's better than getting a letter in the mail?

Getting a pretty letter! (Especially if you're writing to a girl haha) 

Covering letters with beautiful little details totally takes it to the next level. It creates a feeling of extra-special attention and effort for that person. Your letters become a visual delight - eye candy!  This week I've been practicing this extra special effort to make the addresses on my envelopes look more like calligraphy and incorporating more watercolors. I like painting flowers and giving each of my friends a different type and color of flower. A friend of mine told me she loves receiving letters that her friend covers in cute stickers. My friend Kaitlyn is good at creating artsy letters — she folds them up in fancy ways, writes at diagonal angels and doodles little patterns in the margins. I always love this extra attention to detail that makes me feel like she was thoughtful while writing, rather than just quickly scribbling something down on scratch paper (which of course is better than nothing in it's own magical way). More ideas... You could spray your letters with perfume (Legally Blonde style!). You could seal the envelope with a lipstick kiss. Include glitter! Theme your letters with the holidays! So many possibilities!

I've gone a little Pinterest crazy for some inspiration on this topic! Check out my Letter Writing Pinterest Board. Enjoy!!!

Any other ideas for how to make letters extra special?

{My Happiness Project} Letter Chains

So the month of November was supposed to be all about loving BUT all I can think about so far is letter writing. Last week I wrote about my spreadsheet for organizing my letters to friends who live all around the world. Some of you (wink wink Naomi, my new friend here in Maui) think this is an absolutely ridiculous type-A behavior but to you I say pooh-pooh. ;) I'm changing November's theme to Letter Writing. 

This week I've finally decided to take action and start a chain letter. Thanks to my friend Shona who gave me this idea a couple years ago! The idea is simple and beautiful. Pick a group of friends that you want to stay in touch with. Buy an envelope and create a rotation list that sends that envelope around the globe hoping from one person to the next, going in circles, around and around. When you receive the envelope, you can check out all the notes and funky things people before you have put in. You add something to the envelope and send it on it's marry way. When the envelope returns to your mailbox, you take out your last contribution and replace it with something new. Every time the envelope goes around it's filled with new items and everyone gets a chance to see them.

Ug this is such an ugly photo - it pains me to see it on my blog. I wish I had taken the time to be all crafty and taken a Pinterest-worthy photo BUT I didn't have time. My apologies and I beg you to just deal with it ;) 

I think it's a fabulous way for a group of friends to stay in touch. I've been talking about doing this for over a year and this is the week that I'm FINALLY making it happen. Inside the envelope I'm going to include a list of everyone's addresses, the order that the envelope gets posted (which person sends it to which person), and blank sticker address-labels to make it easier for people to address the envelope (making tasks easier increases the likelihood that they'd get done). Shona also mentioned that we should have a set time-limit for posting the envelope — once you receive it, you have 2-3 weeks to send it forward. This keeps the process flowing and avoids the envelope being neglected beneath someone's bed.

This morning on my way to work I pulled into the Drugs Store and purchased a perfectly medium sized yellow envelope. I'm so excited to start this chain letter! Anybody else out there ever done something like this?

{My Happiness Project} Loving from a Distance & My Letter Production Line

It's month three of My Happiness Project! November's theme is 'Loving.' My goal is to improve the way that I love other people, primarily focusing on how to make them feel loved. Of course, this includes little acts of kindness, little compliments and lots of hugs and kisses to the people who are around me. But seeing as the majority of people I love are scattered around the globe, far away from me here on this little rock in the Pacific, I think my main aim is to master the art of making people (who are very far away) feel loved. 

One way that I try to make my friends and family feel loved is to write them letters. I became a regular letter writer when I moved to Scotland for university and writing letters was how my grandma and I stayed in touch. Our regular correspondence has become one of the most beautiful joys of my life and both of us have saved ALL of our letters to each other. I hope one day to make a big book of them all. I wish more people experienced this beautiful art form because I think it's the most wonderful form of communication. Click here to read more about THE ART OF WRITING LETTERS.

Since moving to Hawaii, I've created a spreadsheet that keeps track of who I send letters to and how often I'm sending them. (And people accuse me of being type-A? It's totally normal to create spreadsheets for your social activities, right? haha) I'm aiming to work through my list of loved-ones every two weeks. Miggy told me that he read some trivia that in order to keep a strong friendship alive, you have to be in contact with that person at least once every two weeks. Hence, the inspiration for my letter writing schedule. I also keep track of the type of letter I send — postcards, long letters, little packages, etc... but so far I've only managed to send postcards. They're so easy. hehe

Back in September, I learned Resolution #4: If you want to celebrate, you have to PLAN. So, I'm hoping that this lesson will also apply to letter writing. If I want to build a consistent habit of writing regular letters, I have to plan ahead. So...

During the month of November, my goal is to set up my "letter production line." This production line includes my spreadsheets ;) and I also want to make a little letter-writing toolbox that has stamps, envelopes, cards, postcards etc... all ready and waiting for me. I'm hoping this will make it easier for me to write, removing obstacles and excuses like, "I don't have time to go to the post office to buy stamps." 

Resolution 10: Make People Feel Loved at Least Once Every Two Weeks

{My Happiness Project} You Belong Right Now, In This Moment

"RIGHT NOW, In This Moment" — this has been my mantra the last two weeks. 

We've struggled over the past month and a half - settling into life in Maui, new jobs, new house, a new car, new lifestyle. It's been really difficult and many days we've felt melancholy and frustrated. We found ourselves daydreaming about a place we'd rather be and how we want our lives to be in the future. Then we slap ourselves in the face trying to remember that a month ago we were in Seattle dreaming of being in Hawaii. I'm convinced that our discontent is 50% situational and 50% attitude. Maui wasn't what we expected and then we made it worse by having a stinky tude. I've been using so much energy to focus on the positive things I'm grateful for, the things I'm enjoying. Every week I write my Grateful on Sunday list...it helps a lot. But now I have my mantra...it really helps a lot.

I find myself lying back in our sporty red convertible, driving through sunshine and wishing I were somewhere else. I hear the thought appear in my head, "I wish I were in California."

"Why," I ask myself.

"So we could drive through along the coast in the sunshine with the breeze blowing through our hair." 

"You're doing that right now," I say to myself. "Focus RIGHT HERE, In This Moment. You have what you want."

I was sitting outside in the garden reading a book and I heard myself think,

"I wish I were in Portugal."

"Why?"

"So I could sit out in the garden and read a book in the sunshine."

"You're doing that right now," I say to myself. "Focus RIGHT HERE, In This Moment. You have what you want."

I was having breakfast with Miggy but I was so sad because I had to go to work and leave him. I thought, "I wish I were self-employed again."

I asked myself, "Why do you wan to be self-employed again?"

"So I can spend time with Miggy."

"You're doing that right now. Focus RIGHT HERE, In This Moment. You have what you want."

It's like the grass is always greener in the future or in a different location. Reading a book in a Portuguese garden next year sounds way more appealing than reading a book in a Hawaiian garden right now. In the future, life is idyllic - it has a glowy perfection around it. But when the future arrives, it's just life, normal life. 

This little mantra is reminding me each day that RIGHT NOW, In This Moment, is where I belong and knowing that I'm right where I belong seems to make everything seem so much better.

{My Happiness Project} Finding the SPOT Where You Belong

Last week I was feelin' blue. Super nervous about my photo shoots that my boss was going to be observing. Worried that we'll never get around to making friends or joining any local Hawaiian clubs/activities. Missing greenery. Aching from my sunburns. Frustrated at feeling bloated from eating too much chocolate, candy and cheesecake. Tired of driving around the island and shooting weddings in bright hot sun. Wondering if we'd ever feel fully content and fulfilled here in Maui. 

Driving home on the Honoapiiliani Highway, I pulled off the road to check out the little farm store, hoping to get a great deal on some fresh veggies. Driving in the parking lot of the Maui Tropical Plantation and Country Store everything around me seemed to sigh and fall into place. There were vegetables growing in the moist brown dirt and the sun was pouring through the valley making the green grass glow. I had this moment where I felt like, "Ahh...now this is what I need. This is how I imagined Hawaii. This is my spot." I entertained the idea of working in the little farm shop and spending all day digging in dirt (oh how I miss my garden). Glorious. I pondered whether maybe, just maybe, I could moonlight as a farmer. Would they let me dig up carrots and polish Pineapple leaves on my Sunday afternoons? 

Just knowing that this little haven exists half-way between my house and my office has given me such peace everyday. I zoom past the Maui Tropical Planation everyday, glancing over at the little territory of happiness.

This month, I've been dwelling on 'belonging' and this week I've come to appreciate that no matter where I go there will always be a 'spot' where I belong. These spots will revolve around my interests, passions and hobbies. Things that sooth my soul. I may not belong in the wider Hawaiian culture or everywhere on Maui, but I do belong in a vegetable garden, and if I can find me some veggie patches on Maui, I will feel at home... at least during those minutes when my fingers are buried in the soil. 

You have a Special Place Out There!

Resolution 10: Everybody has a SPOT Where They Belong...Go Find Yours!

{My Happiness Project} Do We Belong in Maui?

So they say that Maui hazes its new arrivals — testing them to see if they really want to live here. A friend of mine, who's been here for 1.5 years said her hazing lasted the entire first year. She had every type of tropical skin disease you can think of (including staff and rashes caused by mango sap). 

As for Miggy and me, our hazing has begun. Thankfully, Maui hasn't gone after our skin yet. In fact, my skin is looking much healthier here. We've primarily just had some troubles with our car, insurance companies and mechanics. But the question that passes through our minds is... if Maui is testing us to see if we really want to live here, we have to figure out if we do really want to live here. 

Miggy and I both come from super green parts of the world (because they're pummeled with rain on a daily basis) and since neither of us had ever been to Maui before moving here, we weren't quite sure what to expect, and we figured it would be a tropical paradise — something like Borneo or Bora Bora — jungle vines dropping down over your car and turquoise water lapping up to your front porch. Everyone had raved about Maui so our hopes were pretty high. I have been to O'ahu a couple times and I was picturing Maui to look similar — I remembered driving through big lush mountains from Honolulu to Kailua... and the crystal water at Kailua...and the weather-beaten houses on the North Shore! I was in awe the whole time I was on O'ahu. 

To be painfully honest, our first impression of Maui was kind of disappointing. It is so dry, especially in the center. We've driven all over the place and we love the north coast where it's lush green and wild and the water is lighter blue. Our most favorite parts of the island (up the Hanna Highway towards Haiku & beyond) are a pretty long commute to where we'll be working. So for the time being we're looking for houses that are more central.

As I practice being grateful, I find that I'm feeling fonder of Maui by the day and starting to appreciate the beauty of what it offers but it's hard for me to stop wishing it were more green. I feel a tug in my tummy, wondering if a girl from the Snoqualmie Valley near rainy-Seattle and a boy from Sopping Wet Scotland will ever feel like we really belong in this hot dry landscape. Does it get greener in the winter/spring?

Wherever I live, I want to wake up each morning and have my breath taken away by the views around me. Does that sound super spoiled? Probably but still, that's how I feel and if I am spoiled I might as well be honest about it rather than trying to look all virtuous and positively content. 

Don't worry my Maui-loving friends. I haven't given up hope yet. I am still open minded, excited to embrace Maui life and explore more of the island. Maui has two years to woo me and make me fall in love with her. If she succeeds, fabulous! I'd love to be able to agreed with Conde Naste Traveller's Magazine when they award Maui with the 'World's Best Island' Award. If she doesn't succeed, I suppose we may take our search for our own paradise somewhere else on this little globe. 

I AM happy. I'm just on a constant search for BETTER. I mean really, I'm not exactly suffering here — look at these pictures.... this is my job. I literally get paid to do this. haha ;) #lifeisgood

Resolution 9: Life is Good (if you are grateful).

{My Happiness Project} Where Do I Feel Like I Belong?

So, I look around and I see people belonging to teams, countries, cultures and cliques. My whole life I've watched these tight groups of people, wondering what it would be like to be one of them. I grew up in a family that was half English—half American, I moved to 7 different schools in 5 years (if I'm doing the maths correctly), I packed my bags and enrolled in a Scottish university for 5 years, I married a Scotsman who's own culture is diluted with English & German influences, I've just moved to Hawaii and all of my sports & hobbies have always been individuals practices. So needless to say, I have no idea what it feels like to belong to one community of people from one town who all went to school together and cheer for the same sports team.

As a kid, I didn't know whether or not I should say the pledge of allegiance because something I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for me to pledge allegiance to America when I was also English. I think I would have pledged allegiance to both if I had the choice. I've watched strong cultures around me — the most Scottish farmers in Perthshire who take pride in their kilts and ceilidhs — the Seattleites who bang their heads to the grungiest of grunge music and celebrate mastery of the rain —the Hawaiian men of the mountains riding their polo horses home with the trade-winds at their backs — the country kids from Duvall who ride their off-road bikes on the weekends after church — the rodeo cowgirls who grew up barrel racing & winning ribbons at 4H. These groups are all rooted to their land & a strong stable community. Sometimes, I feel like the migrating bird who passed over the trees with envy. 

I've accepted the fact that I'm never going to be fully rooted (like from the beginning of my life) in any national culture because it's already too late for that. I'm clearly not a Scottish lass or a Hawaiian wahine. I never will be, no matter how hard I try to fit in. So, I'm casting aside the envy and focusing on the positive (BIG SMILES). Everybody has to belong somewhere, right?  It's a basic human need to feel  a sense of belonging. So, I've spent this past week focusing on where I do feel a sense of belonging. Where I belong may not be a dot on a map but a lot of good things in life are invisible — like parallel universes that we can enter into if we're lucky enough to find the portal — I think love must be one of these other worlds.

Maybe instead of wanting to belong to something so concrete like a city, I can start to figure out the abstract places where I belong like.... I belong to the community of artists — all the artists who have ever lived are somehow united in a beautiful layer of the universe because they see the world in a similar way, a way that is different to how everyone else sees it. Thinking outside of the 'belonging box' like this inspired me to create some lists & get my thoughts on paper (see below)....

I DON'T feel like I belong...

at sports games (especially American football & Rubgy)

in a bar

with the "popular" kids

in the city
on a school bus

at concerts
fully in American or British cultures (I've got a finger in each pie)

I DO feel like I belong...

to my family & best friends

in my parent's home & my grandma's house

behind my camera

on my blog

to the world in the early morning

in the presence of my dearest friends (usually drinking tea)

in cemeteries

when I look up at the sky (especially at night or when the clouds are puffy)

in the garden when I'm digging in the dirt

in libraries & large European churches

in a classroom teaching

in St. Andrews, Scotland
in the British social culture
in shorts, a tank top & flip-flops

I would LIKE TO feel (a greater) a sense of belonging....

in my body

on a karaoke stage

in the ocean

Can anyone out there relate to all this mumbo-jumbo that I've just shared? haha
I'm still trying to wrap my own head around it.
Where do you feel like you belong?

Resolution 8: Everybody belongs somewhere.

{My Happiness Project) Go Nuts!

We pulled into the Costco parking lot, looked at each other with an impish grin and decided to buy something tasty - a special treat. Typically, we always walk straight back to the fresh vegetables and fish section, averting our eyes away from all the sweet yummy stuff in pretty florescent packages that they throw in your face right up at the front. We are pretty darn healthy so our idea of a special treat is in a way different league than Oreos and Doritos. We're talkin' honey roasted peanuts, yogurt covered raisins, chocolate covered protein bars! Oh, I'm in heaven just thinking about all that. 

For lots of people these 'treats' are their idea of 'healthy.' Nuts, dried fruit, protein bars. Well, let me tell ya, when you're spending your afternoons chowing down on chilled celery, a little honey goes a LONG way. So now you can see our devilish excitement at the idea of actually pausing at the front of the shop to purchase something from the 'tasty-aisle.'

We had a spontaneous plan, let's buy a special treat and then cuddle up in bed and watch a movie together. We LOVE this idea. We know exactly which treat we're going for - coconut covered cashews. We throw them in the basket and proceed to our normal shopping route. But somewhere in the peanut butter aisle Miggy decides to ditch the cashews. He pauses, lifts the container from the basket, stares at it, makes that face, and slips them onto the shelf. 

I ask him, why? He says it's better for us to spend our money on vegetables and fish. That way the money is actually benefiting our health. The cashews are unnecessary, especially when we're on such a tight budget. 

I completely understand where he's coming from. In fact, I totally agree. We continue shopping. But there was a niggle in the back of my mind. I couldn't help feeling like we'd just stolen something precious from ourselves. At this point I didn't care about the cashew nuts. My concern was more the principle of following through with a treat, an idea, a romantic date. I think it's more harmful to plan the date and back out than it is to not plan a date at all. I think Miggy's been trying to explain this to me for years but it took some nuts at Costco for me to finally understand. 

If we'd been tempted to buy the cashews on a whim, I think it's better for us to resist them. We'll forget about them once we're back in the car. But it wasn't a whim. We had created a plan for a romantic evening, a special time for us to spend together to enjoy each other's company. When Miggy slid the nuts back onto the shelf it felt like he was giving up on our date. It wasn't that this hurt my feelings but rather that it made me realize how beautiful it is to celebrate little things in life and how harmful it can be to live in a constant state of self-deprivation. 

99% of the time we want to stick to our budget and eat healthily but in order to live a balanced happy and healthy life we also have to incorporate pleasure and a bit of indulgence. If you take something away you need to add something else to replace it. If you're only ever taking away you'll be left empty. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about treating yourself to fattening nuts and movies every day of your life. It's more of a once a month date-night kind of thing. You need to include that indulgence AND the resistance to keep that balance.   

We went back and retrieved our cashews and for once it felt really good to drive home knowing that we'd decided to treat ourselves and we followed through. We bought the nuts and now we can watch a movie and nibble together on nuts, a simple most delicious pleasure. 

Resolution 5: Every now and then, Go Nuts

Resolution 6: When you make plans to treat yourself, follow through.

Check out the previous "My Happiness Project" posts from September:

Celebration Success Depends on Planning

Treat Everyday Like a Celebration

Celebrating the Rain

Intro

During October, I'm going to be exploring 'Belonging'. My main motivation for this theme is that I come from a diverse background and I've moved around a few times and I feel like I can fit into a bunch of different cultures but sometimes, I'm envious of people who are deeply rooted in one culture, one group of people, one location. I feel a longing for a deeper sense of belonging. But I'm convinced that with a little bit of introspection I'll be able to figure out where I fit it and embrace it. 

{My Happiness Project} Celebration Success Depends on Planning

On Week One of my Happiness Project, I decided to start celebrating Hump Day again by treating myself to a tasty brownie! But when Wednesday rolled around, I was caught empty handed. No brownies in my lunch box and no brownie mix in the cupboard. The very idea of driving to the store and baking at the last minute made me feel exhausted. So, I forgot about it and totally failed to celebrate my little mid-week holiday. 

On Tuesday of Week Two, I was driving through Redmond, WA passed the Flying Apron Bakery. My quick reflexes turned me into the parking lot and I bought myself a fudge brownie to-go! I controlled myself for 24 hours and on Wednesday afternoon I treated myself to that little piece of chocolatey heaven. Hump-day celebration success! 

On Monday of Week Three, I was busy packing my bags for Hawaii and my very sweet mom offered to bake me something. She offered molasses cookies but again, my quick reflexes kicked in and I shouted, "Brownies, please! And wrap one up so I can take it to Hawaii and eat it on Wednesday!" (Thanks mom!)

On Tuesday of Week Four (yesterday), I thought to myself "Oh dear, tomorrow's Hump Day and I forgot to get my brownie BUT I remember there's a cute cafe on the drive to work where I can stop and buy one. Check! Problem solved!" Cherry on the cake..... I got home from work and found a package in the mailbox from mom — she's sent me a box of Hawaiian tea & Chocolate-covered Macadamia Nuts, for hump day!!!! THANKS again mom!

The moral of the story: PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!

Don't leave your celebration arrangements to the day-of. 

Chances of you following through go down the toilet. 

A little forethought makes all the difference and BOOM, just like that you're celebrating regularly without fail!

Check out previous Happiness Project Posts:

Celebrating the Rain 

Treat Everyday Like a Celebration 

Resolution 4: If you want to celebrate, you have to PLAN

How do you celebrate Hump Day?

Do you have a weekly/monthly tradition?

{My Happiness Project} Treat Everyday Like a Celebration

Food — Clothes — Music — People
Those are the four things that I've found in common with all the major celebrations around the world.
Whatever the holiday, there's always good food (usually a special dish you wait for all year long), fancy costumes or dressing up, seasonal music & special songs, and it's all about being with family, friends and loved ones. If you want to throw a spontaneous party, you will probably think about including all of these elements (or at least most of them) — otherwise, it doesn't feel like a real party, right? So it occurred to me that if we want to turn everyday into a celebration, maybe we should give more thought to incorporating these four "elements of celebration" into our daily lives. 

These four things are already a part of daily life but we don't make a big deal about them until a holiday rolls around. I think we need to look at how we can utilize these everyday things EVERY DAY to boost our mood and help us feel more life celebrating. If these four things are what make big celebrations so special and so much fun, why can't they lift our celebratory spirits the rest of the year 24/7? See below for my ideas on how to break it down....

[Cheryl Ford photographing (a.k.a. celebrating) our GIANT appetizer at Buca di Beppo for my going away dinner w/ Hanna Mazur]

Food
Food that gives you energy so you feel like celebrating — nobody wants to celebrate when they feel like crap. Present your food in a prettier way. Serve it in pretty dishes. Include special treats once a week (like on Hump Day!). Reserve special treats or dishes for different days of the week so you look forward to them.

Clothes
Put more thought into your outfit— an outfit that makes you feel good about yourself (in a happy celebratory mood) — clothes that make you want to dance because they swish around or feel good on your skin! Incorporate more jewelry, makeup or hair styling. Oh and don't forget about nail polish — a nice manicure does so much for your daily confidence and happy mood. (little things, remember?!)

Music
Surround yourself with music that makes you feel good — music that makes you want to sing and dance and celebrate. Music that creates the 'right' happy mood in your home, car or office (remember, happy can be perky or mellow). Silence can be celebrated too but if you're not celebrating silence, turn up the beats!

People
Whether you wish you had more people in your life or you wish you had more solitude, make sure that you are getting the type of social life that you need — that makes you feel happy. I'm trying to celebration of my relationships everyday. One day I have tea with a friend, the next day I write a letter, the day after that I hop on Skype, the next day I have dinner with my family etc.... Mix it up but keep it regular. Oh and I'm think that if you're in grave need of a 'me day' (R&R, to sit and read in silence) that's totally ok because you are celebrating that. ;)

Resolution 3: Celebrate Everyday by Intentionally Choosing Your Food, Clothes, Music & People
Happy celebrating & Happy Hump Day!

{My Happiness Project} Celebrating the Rain

When I first told Miggy about my happiness project and announced that September's theme was ‘celebrating’ he needed me to explain more. So I said that I was really going to focus on little things that we normally overlook, complain about or take for granted; like the rain. He looked at me like I had spaghetti noodles growing out my ears. "Isn't it silly to celebrate something that seems so ordinary?" I defended myself and explained that 'celebrating the rain' doesn't mean you have to do a crazy rain dance or chant beneath the moon. Celebrating doesn’t have to be a big fireworks show or lots of extra work - it can be spontaneous and simple. You can celebrate the rain by listening to it or reading a cozy book beside the window.

Last week, Seattle was hit with a heavy rainstorm. We huddled together outside Barns and Noble & watched puddles forming in the dark parking lot, thunder and lightening booming above us. Eventually, we ran to the car and sat inside what sounded like a giant tin can. I laid backwards in the front passenger seat — my head resting on the dashboard and I looked up through the windshield at the dark sky. The view reminded me of a ride at Disneyworld where you fly off into space, stars streaking into your peripheral vision, your stomach feeling slightly sick but you don't want to stop. I tried not to blink as the water droplets fell onto the glass above my eyes. Then, when I sat up, I looked down at my legs and stared at the animal-like pattern of water droplets being projected through the window by the streetlamp. I imagined what it would be like if this was the pattern of my skin.

When we arrived home at midnight, Miggy and I were greeted by a giant pile of recycling that had to be taken out to the road before dawn. I growled and grumbled — what a terrible task to have to do in the middle of a soaking wet night. (Oh, and you should know that because we live in a countryside neighborhood, we have to drive our garbage & recycling half a mile down the road.) I crawled into bed and pretended that I never saw the recycling. That would be my excuse....fatigue-induced oblivion.

Five minutes later, Miggy came into the bedroom and told me he was taking out the recycling. He didn’t complain or even ask for my help. I heard him upstairs putting on his shoes and jacket. I kept reading “Happier at Home” by Gretchen Rubin. I turned the page and read a sentence that gave me no choice but to get up and run out the door to help Miggy,

“Act the way you want to feel." and “Act the way you want to be treated.”

Miggy saw me coming,"What are you doing here?"

“Nobody should have to do this task alone," I said.

Together we packed up the car in the torrential darkness and drove down the hill. To lift the mood I played some music on the radio. The car was finally empty and Miggy sat down in the drivers seat, ready to go home. The rain was pelting down on my head and I remembered the sentence, “Act the way you want to feel.”

I remembered my bold claims to "celebrate the rain" so I started dancing, right there in the rain, outside the passenger door. I thought Miggy might laugh and then tell me to get in the car but he surprised me with something even better. He spun the volume up as loud as it could go, took off his shirt and ran out into the middle of the street and started dancing in the rain, lit up by the car's headlights. Right on! We're doing this! I took my groovy moves out into the street to join him. 

To top it all off (no pun intended haha) I took off my top too — so we were dancing half naked in the street. This was Miggy's empowering idea because he knows I'm trying to overcome my discomfort with being naked. Small steps, right?

So there we were, shirtless, sopping wet, jumping to the music (Blurred Lines Robin Thicke) blasting from the car out, in the middle of the valley road...celebrating the rain. Like I said before, you can celebrate the rain with a cup of tea beside a window, no need to do a fancy rain dance (and I mean that), but speaking from recent experience, it's worth giving the rain dance a try ;)

Resolution 2: Celebrate the Rain

{My Happiness Project} Intro

Dear Friend,

This month I'm embarking on my very own Happiness Project, inspired by Gretchen Rubin's two books that have rocked my world (and I haven't even finished reading them yet):

1. The Happiness Project
2. Happier at Home

Summary:
spend a year experimenting with how you live your life
so you can learn how to be happier.
Dedicate each month to an aspect of life,
a theme that will guide your research, studies & practice.
See what happens....


 
I've decided to come up with my own monthly themes. Rather than sitting down and forcing myself to come up with a list, I'm letting themes pop into my mind organically. I've been observing my behavior, feelings, reactions etc... and each day I seem to discover a new topic that just feels right, something I need to work on. So far this is my list:

1. September — CELEBRATE

2. October — BELONGING

3. November — LOVING

4. December — FUN

5. January — SIMPLICITY

I'm so excited to get going! I feel like I want to tackle all of these topics at once. Patience, patience....
Focus on the task at hand. Celebration.

When I was a little girl my mom took me to ice cream every Wednesday to celebrate 'Hump Day'.
This first month of my project, September, is dedicated to celebrating so I'm going to start celebrating Hump Day again. Maybe not with ice cream since I'm trying really hard to be a heath-nut but I'll find something equally tasty.

Resolution 1: Celebrate Humpday with Brownies

HAPPY Wednesday lovelies :D