Faith in a Gimmick

I had a wonderful night with a girlfriend last night.  We sat on her couch, laying half on top of each other in one of those blissful girlfriend type piles and laughed and laughed and laughed....

In between laughs we talked seriously about what made us happy.  Amelia is a watcher.  She watches birds, waves, art, and her Lizzard Jet Li.  She also watches Ted talks.  She told me she'd been learning about things that are meant to help you be happier.  I didn't like the idea that there was some sort of cookie cutter "path" to happiness, but the more she talked, the more I began to really like what she had to say...

She played me part of the Ted Talk.  I don't know who it was, and this isn't the post to explain what it said or why I think it's a good idea... or any of the explanation type things.  This post is really just a tool.  It isn't meant for anybody to read (though I don't mind if you do).

This is a place for me to document something today that made me happy.
It's one of the five things Amelia and I are going to try and do everyday.
I'll stay with her again next week and we'll check in, report back to see how it's going.  Are we happier?

And I start these five things today-

1) Say out loud 3 things your grateful for
-John, Vista, and friends like Amelia who inspire me to be grateful

2) Exercise
- Bike ride with John (check), super easy morning floor stretching (check), super easy afternoon stretching (check)

3) Random act of kindness (well maybe not random)
- Accomplished.  But for some reason it seems to cheapen it by writing it down.

4) Meditate
- I haven't done this yet today.  I will though.  I found myself fixated on something today and I tried to pass that off as meditation, but it wasn't.

5) Journal- write something down that made you happy today.
See Below



John and I built a table this weekend.  It's the type of table that I've been dreaming about for years.  Heavy and long.  Wide enough for puzzles and board games, or poker nights, or Thanksgiving table for eight.  Tonight we stained the table.  It is beautiful.  Working on our table together made me happy.

More specifically wiping away the excess stain on the first table leg to see what the finished product finally looked like- that moment made me downright gleeful.  It was beautiful.  It embodied the life that John and I are trying to build. Simple, sturdy, creative, and made with love and patience.   Wiping away the stain and seeing something beautiful made me happy.