"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
"'Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug."
"Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops..."
"Once on a dark winter's day when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they do at night, and odd-looking little girl sat in a cab with her father, and was driven rather slowly through the big thoroughfares."
Ah, beginnings! They're so full of promise of good things to come! I like beginnings much more than I like endings. Whether it's the beginning of a book, the beginning of a road trip, or the beginning of box of chocolates...beginnings are exciting, because they are ripe with anticipation and possibilities.
January is the mother of all new beginnings! A brand new year, like a blank sheet of paper, practically begging for us to turn it into something great. We've all felt it. The excitement and determination that a new year brings. Tennyson captured this feeling exactly when he said,
"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'it will be happier'..."
That's what it's all about, really. Isn't it? Happiness. The long lists of resolutions that a new year inspires, with promises to ourselves to eat healthier, exercise more, learn to paint, or finally take that trip to England, are all motivated by a desire to be more HAPPY!
So, in the spirit of a new year, of new beginnings, and of a new resolve to be happier, I offer a Happiness Challenge.
It's simple. Find 30 minutes a day for 30 days, to do something that makes you happy. That's it. 30 minutes a day to focus on YOU. It's not selfish. It's self-care.
Start by writing it down. If you're like me, you can go the whole day, caught up in the whirlwind of your daily schedule, and forget to find time for yourself. So, schedule it in. Take 10 minutes right now to mark out a calendar, or make a list, of your happiness plan for the next 30 days.
Has it been a while since you've made time for yourself? Need some help? Here, I'll brainstorm some ideas with you.
You could maybe...
1~ Bake something. Baking is my favorite way to find an instant little slice of happiness. Maybe it's the order and predictability of a familiar recipe, or the smell of bread in the oven, or the looks on my kid's faces when they see the plate of cookies. Baking is just good for us! (ok, maybe eating what we bake isn't always good for us), but the process is awesome for our emotional health. (see: http://itsapurposefullife.blogspot.com/2017/01/bake-away-blues.html)
Sometimes I get a little crazy and turn on The Great British Baking Show or Baking With Julia, just to set the mood.
2~Take a nap. This one can be a little tricky, especially if you have little ones at home, but 30 minutes of sleep is sometimes just what a busy, sleep-deprived, mom or dad needs most to boost their happiness.
3~ Read a book. Snuggle up for 30 minutes with an old favorite, or something you've been meaning to read forever now, but can never seem to find the time. Beautiful words and stories of good literature are a time-tested way to add happiness to your day. Don't forget about non-fiction! I always feel so accomplished and wise when I make time to read about something I didn't know before.
4~ Get your hands dirty. This one works! I know. My husband is a soil scientist. : ) There is something so therapeutic about working with all that potential for something beautiful or delicious. Swing by the garden shop and pick up a few Terracotta pots for just a couple of dollars, and a packet or two of seeds. Herbs like basil and cilantro, dill or chives, will grow great in your windowsill even in the winter. Those little fragrant pots of happiness will give you a boost every time you look at them!
5~ Get creative! Just 30 minutes to find some serious relaxation and a serious sense of accomplishment by creating something new. One of my favorite talks ever, captures perfectly how easily we can work creativity into our everyday, and the happiness that flows when we take time to be creative.
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty--
You may think you don't have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before--colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." Dieter F. Uchtdorf--https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng
6~ Take a walk. Ooh! Even better, take a mindfulness walk! No speed walking allowed! Walk slowly, and notice the clouds in sky, the wind in the trees, and the other sights and smells that are so easy to miss if we're not looking for them. Slow down, notice, appreciate=happiness.
Now that the ideas are flowing, I'm off to write my own happiness plan!
Remember, "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." (Gordon B. Hinkley)
Surely we can spare 30 minutes a day, for 30 days, in our pursuit of happiness.
Today's a new day; let's make it purposeful!
Kara
(Note: Quotes at beginning of post are from: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Anne Of Green Gables, A Little Princess.)