Thursday May 22, 2008

The List
Current mood: cheerful

Leslie's list of things she loves/things that make her happy: (it's an on-going list - IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

The email from my husband "22 things that make my life great"
Brytin's laugh

Here's what I said in front of the crowd at Share Night:
"I had the pleasure of sitting with some students before class starts (providing leaders the opportunity to pray before their service). This is such a wonderful 10 or 15 minutes of my time. The kids probably find me annoying or odd, but I just LOVE talking to them. Like the sister that sat at Jesus' feet to listen, every week I would just plop down and soak up whatever they were willing to share - school, music, vacations, family, Bible study, friends - whatever. I can never remember their names and I can barely remember details from week to week, but for those 10 or 15 minutes, I did not think about work or bills or relationships. I just felt God's peace, joy and love. We're always told to find God in the every day little things, and truthfully, I finally did as a pre-class payer volunteer at BSF."

Programs for servicemembers
People who appreciate servicemembers
ChaCha on my back porch wearing Chris's sweatpants
Chris's obsession with root beer
KFC
Paying off the IRS - I pray I never ever owe them money again

Coupon Clipping
Cake Donuts
Real Friends
Learning

Cooking delicious food
Doing my job well - efficiently, correctly, and with a smile!

Seeing my husband EVERY DAY
Snuggling with each of my cats in their favorite places
Jesus
Keeping in touch with friends
Long phone conversations with my mom, with Amy, with Chris
Seeing flowers while on a walk around the neighborhood
Riding shotgun while Chris drives where ever he feels like going
Laughing
Writing
My Ruth Mayer painting "Via Dela Rosa"
Stand-Up Comedy On-Demand
Seeing people falling in love
Silly songs
Hugging Chris while he does the dishes
Laughing with Amy
Seeing Brytin and Chris play together
Compliments
Clothes that complement my body
Reading and learning from the Bible
Knitting
Magazines and on-line articles
Whenever Chris makes me laugh
Paying bills/Balancing checkbook
Hugging candles
Reading
Putting on make-up and doing my hair
Skirts
Fuzzy puppies
Kittens
My bed – the pillows, the comforter, the mattress are perfect!
My back porch with the twinkle lights
Watching B movies that Chris likes (ie anime or movies about racing or kung fu stories)
My kitchen
My living room shelves
Dreaming/Planning for the future

I read this article in my newest Woman's Day magazine. (I know, I know, but I really like the magazine.) http://www.womansday.com/health/12990/celebrate-every-day.html

It wasn't necessarily a fabulous article, but it was filled with nuggets of usefulness. Allow me to summarize for you.

"When you look for reasons to celebrate – no matter how small – you increase your happiness."

"Highlighting the positives in your life and feeling the joy they bring can really be very simple. For example, the next time your child says 'Thank you,' take a second to appreciate what a great little person he's become."

"Happiness is really just an accumulation of a bunch of joyous moments…These bursts of bliss leave you feeling more optimistic and content. Building up joy reserves, one little instance at a time, makes you happier and healthier."

"This is not an instinctual habit…Our first instinct is to see the negative before the positive. Think about how neighbors unite in gossiping about a new family on the block. Or parents who bond by complaining about their kids' Little League coach…Instead of looking for positives in people, we focus on negatives. There is power in negativity, but probably not the kind you should harness to live your happiest life…Such talk makes you feel like you are a part of a group, but we are eroding each other…The more people see themselves as victims, the unhappier they are."

"If we live life thinking 'I'll be happier when ____ happens' we miss the moment-to-moment joys that really do make a difference."

"It's easy to remember good things when they are big…The trick is to dial down your definition of a celebration. 'Think of it with a lowercase c.' Paying attention and savoring the stuff you really love enables you to retrain your brain – you'll start to focus on the small things. And once you change your mindset, the positive experiences will begin to pile up."

One lady in the article started making lists of things she loves i.e. "seeing her husband at the end of the day and being around fresh flowers."

"Feeling that ALL things are important erodes our positive emotions. The more you rush through life, the less time blissful moments have to imprint on your brain."

"Once you begin actively looking for joy-making moments, you will find that they come from the most unexpected places."