Coffee, laughter and flowers

I think I’ve been avoiding posting anything on my blog for some time. Why? Because writing about stuff means you have to think about it, and sometimes, the stuff I end up writing about is stuff I don’t want to think about.

Generally my posts of late tend towards the melancholy side of the scale. That’s been another reason I’ve avoided writing.

But today I was challenged to write about 3 things that make me happy. And yes, this is a challenge for me – give me something depressing or complex to write about and I’ll fire away – but ask me to think about happy things, and I seem to struggle. It’s not right, I know…but I’m working on it – all I need is a little time.

Ok – so 3 things that make me happy. Here goes…

(1) Coffee in the morning

There really is just nothing like waking up to that first cup of good coffee. Even the thought of it excites me. In fact, sometimes I look forward to it so much that I just wish the hours would fly by until that very moment that I’m holding that steaming mug of coffee between my two hands 🙂 Addict? Nope…not an addict – I simply enjoy it!

(2) Making people laugh

Sure ok, I know what you’re thinking. I pretty much spent the first few lines of this post explaining that I tend towards melancholy – and now I’m saying that one of the things that makes me happy is making others laugh – contradiction? Nope.

In fact, I’ve often found that those who suffer the most from depressive thoughts and moods, or who seem to struggle the most with sorrowful emotions, are the same people who can just give others one look, or say one thing, and have them burst out in laughter.

There’s something soul-satisfying about being the source of smiles and laughs – about being able to make people chuckle to the point of tummy ache and tears (good tears).

(3) Flowers

Let me clarify this – it’s not just the flowers that make me happy, but also, receiving flowers that puts a smile on my face. In fact, Mani recently bought me a bunch of flowers, and my heart did a happy-flip in my chest. I don’t know what it is about receiving flowers that makes me happy – but they work! And I just cannot get enough of them – I often find myself standing in the kitchen near the spot where I always place flowers, and staring at them…just staring. And then I turn to walk away, but look back and stare a little more. And all the while, the smile on my face gets bigger.

And so there you have it – 3 things that make me happy. There are other things that make me happy too, for sure, but these 3 were the first that came to mind 🙂

Maintaining Insanity

I’m all for maintaining a healthy level of insanity – it’s a requirement…a basic human need. In fact, it should’ve been at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Follow some (or all) of these steps and you’re sure to have a fab day!

• At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hairdryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
• Page yourself over the intercom and don’t disguise your voice.
• Every time someone asks you to do something, ask them if they want fries with that.
• Put Decaf in the coffee machine for 3 weeks. Once everyone is over their caffeine addictions, switch to Espresso.
• Skip down the hall rather than walk and see how many looks you get.
• Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
• Sing along at the Opera.
• 5 days in advance tell your friends you can’t attend their party because you have a headache.
• When your money comes out the ATM, scream “I won! I won!”
• When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot yelling, “Run for your lives! They’re loose!!”
• Tell your children over dinner: “Due to the economy we’re going to have to let one of you go.”

 

A positive wish

Having noticed my slightly worried state of mind and slumped mood, a friend sent me the following email this morning – just what I needed and definitely something anyone can take inspiration from 🙂 Dankie Dee 🙂

My wish for you is written by Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;”

What you are is God’s gift to you, what you make of yourself is your gift to God.

People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did.
But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Happiness – Part II

And so I continue on my quest to identify the things that make me happy (no matter how random they may seem) – in an attempt to trick my mind into thinking more positively. Hopefully this will become an automatic way of thinking as opposed to the easier, more negative way of thinking, that we become so accustomed to.

– Freshly cut, green grass makes me happy. Yes, I said some of the things I mention may be random, and this is one. But I bet you there are at least two other people in the world who feel happy when they smell freshly cut, green grass, ok!

– Purple makes me happy. Yip, it’s my favourite colour of aaaalll time and I love anything that’s purple – but in particular, purple shoes make me happy! Give me a pair of purple shoes and I will be your friend for life!

– Sitting on my couch watching My Family makes me happy. I’m not sure it’s because I can relate to the family in this British TV series, because they’re considered a little crazy…but I find them hilarious and can sometimes identify (perhaps a little too much) with their humour and the things they do.

– Drinking my Vanilla Chai tea in the afternoon makes me happy. Why…because it’s yummy – simple! (Especially when you make it with 3/4 milk and a little more sugar than you normally use 🙂 ).

– Food makes me happy. Yes…food. ‘Emotional eating’ *check*, ‘Comfort eating’ *check*, ‘Random eating’ *check*, ‘Eating eating’ *check*. I’m always willing to try any dish and consider myself to be rather adventurous – ok, no…I won’t eat certain things like sheep’s eyeball, but give me a rare steak covered in cheese or pepper sauce and I’ll be almost as happy as if I’ve just received a pair of purple shoes! Note: I said almost as happy…because purple shoes are just so much more awesome!

** End of Part II**