Well, friends, this was one of those weeks when my word of the year felt a wee bit cumbersome. Like an ill-fitting coat with a collar that's too high, and sleeves too long, and puffiness that's just too darn puffy... Happy was hard this week.
Now when talking about the majors and minors of life, this week's frowny faces have all been the result of minor inconveniences, disappointments and stressors. Believe me, I know major. I am HAPPY to say that nothing this week qualified as major.
But still...there were some bumps.
Here is where I am learning to be glad for my word of the year though. Like Pollyanna, it's becoming an intentional daily exercise for me to try and take the rough patches, smooth them out and put a little shine on them.
Remember The Glad Game? If you don't then it probably means you didn't have a childhood and someone failed to introduce you to the Wonderful World of Hayley Mills. I'm so sorry about that. I hope this youtube clip will restore just a smidge of your childlike wonder.
(Please follow this up with an immediate viewing of the original Parent Trap and then look for In Search of the Castaways. Then try to stop singing "Let's get together, ya, ya, ya...")
Oh, Pollyanna...you happy little scamp. Count me in for The Glad Game!
Here we go...let's turn that frown upside down!!
1. Winter is....COZY!
I'm a little over winter. At least the freezing-temperature-ice-and-snow-everywhere winter. But who has two thumbs and really enjoys any excuse to stay indoors under piles of blankets reading and/or watching TV?! This gal right here, that's who! (I'm pointing at myself with my two thumbs- FYI).
It's cold but our house is cozy and time spent with my favorite pups and people is always a good thing. Plus, it's pretty.
But just so we're clear... Spring, you are totally welcome to arrive early. Just sayin'.
2. Reading is Fun!
Sigh...thank heaven that when all else fails, there are always books.
I'm reading a great one right now and I SO wanted to be finished with it before I put it on The Happy List but it's too good to leave it off. I'm 80% finished so I feel confident I'm going to like it all the way to the end, but I don't know the end yet, so I'm taking a leap of faith here.
It's unusual how long it is taking me to read this book. It's fairly big but I've been known to read entire books in a day so the fact that I've been working on this one for a week says something. Sometimes that would say something bad, like I'm bored with it and having a hard time sticking with it. But in this case, it's a good thing. I'm savoring it and letting the story unfold slowly which is something I almost never let a story do. I'm known for racing headlong through a book with nary a thought toward words like savoring and slow.
The title is The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob.
It's culturally interesting centering on an Indian family, with the storyline traveling from 1970's India to the 1980's in New Mexico and Seattle. In some ways it's an immigrant story, but also just a story of a family with all of their quirks, past mistakes, and struggles to love one another. I'm enthralled.
3. Comfort food is GOOD!
I made this on Monday night and it continued to make me HAPPY for two more days.
Make this when you want something warm, and familiar, and comforting but also want to convince yourself you are still making good choices. Broccoli is also one of the vegetables Annie actually likes and asks for, so any dish with broccoli in it is going to make it into my rotation.
Not gonna lie...you still need to watch your portion size with this. But if you keep it under control you can enjoy this cheesy indulgence guilt free.
Soooooooo.....good.
4. Music is a GIFT!
If I'm not sleeping, reading, or watching TV (which I really don't very often) then I'm listening to music.
Music is one of my guaranteed, go-to mood boosters and this album by Ben Rector is currently one of my favorites. It's not new and the song Brand New has gotten quite a lot of airtime so you may be familiar with it. But honestly, I don't think that is the best song on the album by a long shot.
Here is my favorite that has become sort of an anthem for me:
I used to think I needed all the answers
I used to need to know that I was right
I used to be afraid of things I couldn't cover up in black and white
But I just wanna look more like love
I just wanna look more like love
This whole world is spinning crazy
And I can't quite keep up
It's the one thing around here
That we don't have quite enough of
So I just wanna look a little more...
like love.
I hear a lot about love these days and how it "wins" and conquers all and is the answer. And I don't disagree. But sometimes it feels as though those phrases are still being wielded like a weapon. That the love that wins is really only reserved for the chosen ones who belong to the right crowd.
Our crowd.
I'm challenging myself to practice a more radical love that includes those who I disagree with and who disagree with me. People who don't like me or my ideas and, if I'm honest, people I'm not so crazy about either.
Is it really hard to love people who already agree with everything you think and do? Is that much of a stretch?
I can only speak for myself and I know that I need to work on loving and listening beyond my own intellectual, emotional and spiritual walls.
I just wanna look more like love.
To everyone.
That would make me HAPPY! 😍
5. Because sometimes we just want pretty eyelashes
So, I was given this as a sample at Sephora and my first thought was:
Seriously? Eyelash Primer? Now that is a gimmick if I've ever heard one. The cosmetic industry will do anything to steal our money!
And my second thought was:
Give it to me.
I never said I wasn't a sucker for a good makeup gimmick.
But I have since eaten my words twenty times over! This stuff works!!
I have been blessed with dark eyelashes but they are incredibly thick and straight. I mostly use mascara to give them a little more oomph, definition, and shape. But no matter what I used I found I always ended up with either flaking, or smudging under the eye over the course of the day or evening.
NO MORE!!
First of all whatever is in this magical tube of white goodness (yes, it's white) it helps to give my lashes more natural curl than any mascara ever has. I'm almost worried it's Elmer's glue, but if it is do not tell me. I don't want to know. Leave me to my innocence.
Once I put this on and let it set then it's off to the races with my usual mascara. Right now I'm just using a Neutrogena mascara and it seems to be working dandy with my heavenly eyelash primer of goodness. (Too much? I really do like it.)
I don't even wear mascara everyday but when I do...this is now my secret weapon.
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So, there you go- this week's Happy List! Proof positive that even on a bad week there are still things you can find to make you smile.
Pollyanna is so proud of me.
Come on, play along! The Glad Game is just good clean fun for everyone.
Be HAPPY, friends!
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