1/11/14
Tonight’s conversation in my head started out like this..
“Do I keep the tangled mess of cheap green ornament hangers that I just wrestled from the Christmas tree, or just chuck them in the garbage and spend a buck next November and start fresh?”
Every year that I toss the tangled green mass of hooks into a ziploc bag, I set in motion a micro-dread feeling that persists, albeit under the radar, the whole year through. The dread diminishing the fun of ornament hanging with the unpleasant chore of untangling that wire mess. “But I’m recycling,” try to convince myself. It’s a Catch-22 and the only thing I’ve caught is a no-win dilemma.
But then it hits me…
I could come up with a cool storage hack that would alleviate the stress of the tangled mass. I could then post the solution, all while feeling good about my green recycling self. Maybe my ornament hanger solution could save the world in the tiniest way! If even one less family lost a second of precious memory – making time fussing over the green wire mess, I would be a Pinterest hero!
Okay maybe it’s not that earth-shattering. Then it hit me.…
It’s the creation of solutions to make life’s hassles less hassling that makes me feel best. It’s why I love organizing, arranging, setting up things and resources and ideas for better living. This is my calling. So off I went, conjuring a solution to neatly store the green ornament hangers. I envisioned my husband’s delight next year, when upon opening the ornament box to begin the ceremonial trimming of the tree, he would exclaim, “Honey, You make Christmas great!” Well, that may not happen, but I surely will smile with a sweet satisfaction, knowing that I took a little bit of time to make life easier, and it didn’t cost me a thing. I think that this is the type of habit the very wealthy people have… taking care of the little things, so the big things take care of themselves.
Plus I’ll have another dollar in my pocket.
It’s the little things
From 2013 to 2014 – A Poem
Here’s a poem to help you ring in the new year:
From 2013 to 2014
We made it through twenty-thirteen, and oh what a year it has been.
We smashed record markets and shook faith in Target, and tried our best to go green. We had too much of Miley and Beck and O’Reilly, but thankfully Colbert between. Harlem shook proudly while K-Pop played loudly, and Lorde promised she’d be our queen. While Dennis took trips, Rubio took sips, and that Toronto guy seemed kind of mean.
Yes, 2013 was a sign of the times.
While we cried for Mandela, we saw some strange signs. Sharknados and selfies took much of our time, and Nelly crossed over a two-state line. We pinned no-bake pie pics and bathroom designs, and discovered local vineyards making must-try wines.
Who knows what the new year ’14 will bring? At least we can say there’ll be new techy things. Driverless cars will soon be the norm. It won’t be long now until they chase the storms. The drones may deliver our latest must-haves, and the hormones may finally be pulled from our calves. Whether cameras in our glasses or phones in our rings, to one dear thought I feverishly cling.
It’s a hope that only one source can bring…
That source is my Family, my Faith and my Friends. The one true connection that need never end.
Enjoy the fresh slate that 2014 brings, Everyone! Continue reading
60 Seconds to a Happier Wavelength. Guaranteed.
Think You Can’t Control Your Mood? See if this Resonates…
I think about happiness as a radio frequency that you can tune yourself to follow, just like a radio station. When you don’t like the sounds you hear, you can change the dial until you find something that resonates. Resonates.
When unappealing tones emanate from external sources, like other people or your surrounding environment, or when those unpleasant sounds emerge from internal sources, such as negative self-talk, you can change that tune. Change. Your tune.
“But what if I can’t change my circumstances,” you ask? Ah, but you can. Maybe not the facts. Or the people. Or the pain. But you can change the meaning you assign to those things. It is the label you place on your experience that determines its impact. Consider holocaust survivor and pioneering positive thinker, Viktor Frankl, who said,
“Everything can be taken from a man or woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Ah hah! The worst-conceivable things can be happening around and near and to me, and yet I get to choose what those things mean to me. I get to choose how I tune myself into my world.
A favorite positive thinker I follow, who goes by the pen name, “Cast Light,” said in a brief article today,
What you look for you will find. So if you’re looking for something to complain about or someone to talk about, there will be plenty to find. Cynicism, complaint and negativity are easy and decrease our capacity to see beauty and blessings. Adventure into joy every day.
Isn’t that cool – using adventure as a verb? An action you choose for yourself. To adventure. An action that transports you to a wavelength of joy.
When really connecting with someone interesting, have you ever said to yourself, “Wow, we’re on the same wavelength.” Think about that word for a moment — “wavelength.” Sharing a similar rhythm. Aligning your experiences. Being in the same moment.
What power we have!
Here’s an experiment to try.
I’m confident that this 60-second exercise will either resonate with an already-happy mood if you have one, or begin to change your mood wavelength toward a positive direction. Whether it works or not, I’d like to connect with you to learn how you respond. The experiment is simple:
1. Ask yourself how happy you feel at this moment on a 1-10 scale (10 = very happy).
2. Take 60 seconds to view this “Happiest Facts of All Time” article from Buzzfeed and Reddit.
3. Come back to my site and post your thoughts, along with any change to your happiness rating that resulted from viewing the Happiest Facts article.
If your mood wavelength hasn’t budged upward, even a smidge, I’ll send you a quarter in the mail.
What have you got to lose?
Take a deep breath, settle in, and enjoy this post, like a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy day…
This article is from Chiara Fucarino. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to address those with clinical depression or other mental illnesses.
There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within. The richest person in the world could be miserable while a person living in the slums of a third world country could be happy and content. I have spent plenty of time amongst both groups to have seen it first hand. Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.
The question is: how do they do that?
It’s quite simple. Happy people have good habits that enhance their lives. They do…
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Susan E. Hendrich 