What Makes You Happy?

I started back to work yesterday. Ugh! We had a teacher inservice day so at least we got to wear jeans and have a laid back schedule. A good way to transition from 14 days of nothing!

We had a speaker talk to us about happiness. She asked us to ask ourselves a simple question, "What makes me happy?" She said to list the first five things that came to mind that didn't include big things like God, family, life, etc. I came up with walking in the early morning before everyone else is awake, Mark's pancakes, lunch/shop at Northpark with my Mom, a handwritten note of encouragement from a friend or family member, and clean sheets. She then asked us how we felt after writing these items down and sharing them with our table mates. Amazingly, I felt much happier!

The speaker encouraged us to continue this list and remember that happiness means doing what you love. It brings inner peace and promotes the act of taking care of yourself rather than always taking care of others. This talk came at the perfect time since I feel like I have recently struggled a bit with my happiness.

I decided to continue my list and came up with these additional items: getting an awesome coupon deal, a facial or massage, a hug, time alone with Mark, having an extended amount of time to read a great book, snuggling with the dogs, an "I love you" text message, a fun night out with the girls, surprising someone with an unexpected gift, an uninterrupted talk with a best friend, date night with Mark, my Mom's chicken delight, and a big cookie or frosting filled cupcake.

My goal this year is to do things that make me happy. Like the speaker noted, happiness has a lot to do with relationships with other people so I hope to make new friends, build deeper bonds with the friends I already have, continue to grow in my marriage, and find things that make me happy that don't involve other people. It's a big task but I am up for the challenge!