Working on Happiness in the Month of Change

Up the hill at the end of the day

(work in progress)

Watercolour and black marker

on watercolour paper

9 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 

I can't remember exactly when I realized that I could influence
my degree of happiness, but I know that my life has been
increasingly enjoyable ever since.  I have studied as much as
I can about the process of getting happy.  And this is at times
of serious stress -- loved ones suffering from cancer, disagreements
with friends and family, and worst of all the deaths of people
close to me.

I was not always happy.  When I read my diaries from my
teenage and early twenties I don't recognize myself as me.
I certainly struggled with depression from time to time. A lot
of that was about self esteem -- not being the same as everyone
else, and wanting to be.

Over the years many of my students have dealt with these
problems, and I sympathize.

One thing that helps is thinking of 10 reasons to be happy:

Here we go:

1. I got to sleep in, and my husband brought me coffee -- first
a cup, and then a fill up (very ceremonious with the coffee pot
and the milk jug).

2.  I completed the list of captions for two of my art books
that I'm submitting for review.

3.  We spent the afternoon with our son Sam, and went to
see Joe at Optikon, who is a miracle man with glasses.

4. A friend says the weather is going up to 9 degrees Celsius
next Thursday which made me think of a funny skit on
22 minutes (click the link) about zero degrees and Canadians.

5. Scrolling through my blog looking for captions I
saw so many wonderful experiences I've had in Florence,
Italy, Paris, France, New York City, New York, Toronto,
Canada.  And it made me feel both excited and grateful.

6. We had a delicious dinner with candlelight (as always)
from Thai Mango. Yum.  For the plastic conscious out
there we take our own containers.

7. I found this lovely watercolour (work in progress) that has
the feeling of summer.

8.  We watched a superb movie tonight:  The boy who harnessed
the wind.  So wonderful.

9. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I get to sleep in.

10.  We turn our clocks back tomorrow, so we did it today,
which means we are already on the new time!  Hey.  Good
thinking in the Month of Change.  Changing the time is
real change, and that has a big impact on people's lives.
We are ahead of the game. Yay!

Have a thinking of 10 reasons to be happy day.