Little Joys.

I'm writing this outside, on a blanket, soaking up the first warm and sunny day we've had in a long time. The grass is still brown and crunchy, but the sun is hot and bright and a reminder that Florida is about to come back to life. I'm writing with a pen and paper, because lately I'm more inspired by a blank page than by a glowing computer screen. 
Jack is running around butt naked. I've gotten him dressed three times today, he's gotten himself undressed three times today, so we're at an impasse here. He thinks it's the funniest thing in the whole entire world to be naked in the yard and is just running in circles laughing-a deep belly, infectious kind of laugh. 
It is, so simply, a joyous moment. A small moment, sure. But joyous. A little joy. 
I've been working really hard lately on a lot of things, and I've been really tired as a result. The things I'm working on are all good things, all important things. They all have happiness as the end goal. But I can't help but notice the fact that I feel happier right now, sitting on a blanket in the sun, than I've felt in a long time. 
It took me two hours to write this post that I normally would've knocked out in twenty minutes. I stopped and played football with Jack, stopped and made a smoothie, stopped and just closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun. It was slow and simple and made my to-do list for tomorrow much longer, but what's it really matter? Because where's the good in marking off another step on the way to those big joys we're planning for ourselves if we don't stop and enjoy the little joys along the way?
Little joys. Yeah. More of those. 

Let's be Happy Today.

Let's be happy today. 
It's Monday, for one thing. That means that if you are in need of a fresh start, here you go! It's here. Use it! Let it be the starting line for you becoming the happiest you have ever been. 
Know what else is here? Summer. (Or, if you live up north, maybe it's alllllmost here for you). And there's something about summer that just seems a little more light and carefree, even when you become an adult and summers are really no different than any other time (lame). There's something about sunshine and barbecues and pool days and vacation that just whispers, you should really, really be happy. 
So whatever it is you need to do today in order to be happy, I think you should do it. If you need to quit a bad job or a bad relationship, do it. If you need to get healthier, do it. If you need to make amends with people in your life, do it. If you need to get back to that hobby that makes your heart sing, do it. 
Wherever you are, whatever kind of mood you're in, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, I just wanted to remind you that life is both entirely too short and entirely too long to not be happy. 
So let's be happy today.

Make Your Life Your Happy Place.

When we got this house, I knew I wanted a coffee bar. When I found this yellow beauty, I knew it needed to come live in my house. And then, when I couldn't decide if I wanted to make it a coffee bar or a wine bar (how do you choose between two great loves?), Christopher stained a wine rack yellow so I could have both. He's the best. 
It makes me so happy every time I see it. It's such a bright, cheerful corner of my house, and it makes me want to make every corner of my house happy like that. It makes me want to make every corner of my life like that. 
I will pour a cup (or three or six) of coffee every single morning. Why shouldn't it be in an area that makes me happy? 

I only have one life, and it's the same one I wake up in every single day.  Why shouldn't every corner be filled with bright and happy things? 
From the music I listen to, to the things I make for dinner, to my job, to the way I spend my free time, to the clothes I wear...if it's something I can control, it should be happy. It's my life-I'm the one who has to live here. 
My bright yellow coffee bar may not make everyone happy. But for me, a little bit of effort (mostly on Chris' part, haha) turned something normal into something that makes me happier every day. And lately, I'm feeling challenged to do that for myself in every area that I can. 
I want to be able to peer into all the corners of my life and think, "Yeah, that makes me happy." 
Maybe it takes a little bit of extra effort, but isn't the extra happiness worth it? 
What makes your life your happy place? 

Pay Attention to The Little Joys.

I have watched The Princess Diaries entirely too much in my lifetime. I haven't seen in it years, but thanks to middle school, I could probably still quote the entire thing.

There's a scene in the movie where they're singing a song at choir practice: "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day." And lately, as silly as it is and as long as it's been since I've seen the movie, that song has been popping into my head. When something good happens, I hear Mia's rebel best friend singing, "Save it for a rainy day." 

Life is so full of little joys. A hot cup of coffee, making it to work on time even though you left the house late, a stranger giving you a compliment, the perfect combination of sunshine and a good breeze. I think what happens most of the time is that these things make us happy for just a second or two, and then we forget all about them. We smile in the moment, but then we move on, leaving whatever happy thing happened in that moment.

I've been trying to pay more attention to the little joys, because heaven knows I certainly pay enough attention to the things that go wrong.

So when good things happen-an extra 15 minutes of sleep or a really pretty sunset or an unexpectedly good movie turns into a new favorite-that song plays in my head, and I think about saving all of those happy little moments.

Because we all know that when a string of bad little things happen, we can name each and every incident of bad luck. So let's do the same with the good luck days, too. The little joys, the slices of happy that make life good. Catch them and hold onto them. Save them for a rainy day.

I'm Feeling Rich.

photo via Megan Elizabeth Photography

I'm feeling pretty rich lately. Not the money kind of rich (although, wouldn't that be nice?) but the true kind of rich. The kind that has nothing to do with your bank account and everything to do with your life. The kind that doesn't go away when you spend it. For me, it's a bunch of little things, and some big things, too.

It's finding brand new pens in nice colors that also write great (easier said than done!).

It's creating yesterday's post and feeling my heart just swell with joy while I look at picture after picture of Jack and realizing that this is real life. It's realizing just how happy I am about that.

It's feeling good enough to make a to-do list and know that at least some of it will actually get done.

It's going to the mall and walking in stores you've never even really noticed before and looking at tiny little clothes and laughing over just how small a seersucker suit can be.

It's second cups of coffee because Publix has started carrying my favorite creamer again.

It's sunny and 75 after a week of weather that made it feel like the North Pole had relocated to the sunshine state.

It's a Friday night with no plans.

It's the little things (and the not-so-little things) that just make days good. The things that make you happy. The things that you can't manufacture, and the things you can buy for just a few dollars. It's waking up and knowing that life is just good. It's knowing that no matter what your bank account may say, you're truly, truly rich in life.

What's making you feel rich lately? 

Life is Good. Let's Talk About It.

Life can be rough. The world can be an ugly, terrible place at times. And we certainly talk about those times...and talk, and talk, and talk about them. When there's bad in life, it seems like it can't be talked about enough. 

But life is also good. There are a million little reasons to be happy, and I don't think we talk about the little things nearly enough. 

Life is good. So let's talk about it. 

• A good thing in my life lately: These candles. From Wal-Mart. Anytime you can get 5 candles for $10, it's a good thing. But when the candles smell amazing and not at all cheap, it's an amazing thing and we should talk about it. Note: You also need the pumpkin spice collection. For some reason I can't find a link to that one. 

• Also on the subject of candles: Target has a blueberry pumpkin candle. A BLUEBERRY PUMPKIN CANDLE. For whatever reason, it's not on their website. But it's $7 and you need to get it and experience a whole new level of happiness. 

• I've been waking up and lighting a candle or two next to my bed before turning the lights on, and drinking my coffee by candlelight. It's not quite having coffee in front of a fireplace, but it'll do. It's such a nice and cozy way to start the day. 

• In more happy news, I had my first ever fall experience at a Trader Joe's. It is fall flavor wonderland. If you like pumpkin flavored things and have a TJ's near you, you need to go. I have spent every day since trying to figure out what all I can put pumpkin butter on. Hey, it's not my fault that the baby likes pumpkin even more than I do. 

• I truly believe that October is just a happier month. I just wake up happier and more refreshed in October-which is really saying something, because sleep and I aren't on the best of terms right now. But it's October! How can you not wake up and be happy to be alive in such a wonderful month? 

What's good in your life today? Let's talk about the good things!

The Little Things.

So much of day-to-day happiness is caused by little things. Catching an unexpected green light, dinner turning out to be delicious, the smell of coffee in the morning, getting a good night's sleep. Things we don't really think of as noteworthy, but they make us happy all the same. 

I say cheers to those ordinary things that make life beautiful. Cheers to the things that, when added up, make us so much happier. Cheers to the mundane, boring, and blissful. 

Ordinary, little things making me happy this week:

Fall colors. I just can't get enough. It may be 1,000 degrees outside, but every store I go in is covered in reds and golds and mustards and I'm loving it.

Well-done fries at Chick-Fil-A. If you've never tried this, you need to cancel your lunch plans and hit up a drive-thru. Order your fries well-done and 1) You're guaranteed to get steaming hot fries, and 2) they're crunchy and just perfect. 

Friday Night Lights. Rewatching an old favorite while doing mundane things like laundry just makes me happy. 

Pumpkin everything. It's the most delicious time of the year.

Fall decorations. Nothing says happiness like waking up to get your coffee and being greeted by a cute little scarecrow sitting on the counter.

Pumpkin scented candles. They make me all sorts of happy. 

The Autumn in New York music station. Full of old songs that make me swoon and remember why this is my favorite season of all. 

What little things are making you happy lately?

Happy Life Advice: Part Two.

happy life advice part one

Dress however you the heck you want to.

Wake up an hour earlier to live an hour more...

...but every now and then, sleep in for as many hours as you possibly can.

Compliment other people as much as possible.  If you like something about them, tell them.  Don't keep it in your head.

Write letters.  To friends, to lovers, to strangers...just write them. 

Have a go-to playlist that is easily accessible for the not-so-great days.

Don't let a day pass you by without reading something. A book, a chapter, a page, a quote...just something. 

Buy something at the start of every season to celebrate a new chapter.  Fall should be celebrated with new boots, or at least a pumpkin spice latte.

Celebrate good hair days with all the selfies your little heart desires. 

Say something positive out loud every day, even if it's just to yourself.

Drink lots of water.  Because there's only so much that coffee and champagne can do for you.  Water is your friend.  

Learn to be amazing at cooking at least one thing--cookies totally count. When you're having a bad day and feel like you can't do anything right, go cook the heck out of that one thing.  See?  You're super talented.

And of course, get a puppy. 

What's your advice for a happy life?