Beautiful Day!

I think having my goal be one happy event is a good one because I could write on, and on, and on, not knowing where to begin and end.  I wouldn't get any thing else done, though I'd be happy.  However, you knew there had to be a however-hahaha, however, I have to write today about a happy day, instead of a happy event.  My birthday.  Because my family made it wonderful.  You don't think about the numbers when you're feeling so loved.  My day began at 11:45pm the night before when my husband wished me happy birthday.  On my birthday, my actual birthday, my oldest daughter called me.  Sadly she lives far from me, so she called me, and all her children sang to me, individually, that I looked like a monkey and I smelled like one too.  SO endearing.  Ha ha.  Then my daughter had me open my present while she was on the phone.  She gave me a book, which I love almost more than anything.  But the greatest thing about it is that she said, "I love this book, and I thought you would too.  I thought you could read it and we could talk about it".  The BEST!

My son arrived at noon to take me to lunch.  He and his wife have decided that the best present, if you are close, is to take your parent, alone, out to lunch.  They do this on Mother's Day and Father's Day as well.  It is wonderful to have some time all to my self to be with my son!

Meanwhile my youngest was home working all day cleaning the house and cooking my favorite meal and a birthday cake.  Then my son and his family came to dinner and we just sat around talking, and reading stories, and, kissing Grand-Babies.  The BEST.  We had one mishap when two of my grandsons, 6 wks apart and under 2, were chasing each other and in their glee wound up crashing into each other, face to face.  The older one laughed, the younger one cried, and there was much consoling all around.

My husband did not forget me either.  I'm going to a writer's conference in May and I and SOOOOO excited.  And there's something coming in the mail.  And he did the dishes.  What more could I ask for?

Oh, and my friends and family sent love and birthday wishes on Facebook, so I guess technology is ok. . . sometimes

March Resolution

I've made a resolution.  Yes, I realize it is the middle of March, but I believe in resolutions at any time of year. You realize you want to do something better, and presto you can make a resolution.  Don't wait till January.  I also believe in tweaking your January resolution even at the end of January or February.  Shocking!  I know.  I'm that kind of girl.

But I digress.  I was feeling my life wasn't going the way I wanted it to, and with the help of a friend, voila a resolution in March.

I feel stuck so in order to get unstuck I am going to do several things.  I will share:

My friend Michelle Davidson Argyle said she watched a talk on Ted talk on Youtube by Shawn Anchor (to give credit where credit is due!).  Shawn said "the lens through which we view the world shapes our reality, and if we change our formula for happiness and success we can change our reality and therefore better control our work productivity."  It's such a great talk.  I recommend it.

He says this is a way to change the formula of 'if I work harder I will be more successful, then I'll be happier to if I'm happier, then I'll work harder and be more successful.

Here are the nuts and bolts:

You do these things for 21 days in a row and it retrains your brain to be happier.

• 3 Gratitudes - Identify gratitude for three new things.
• Journaling - write about one positive experience.
• Exercising - teach the brain that behavior matters.
• Meditation - learn to focus on a single task.  Reverse the ADD that our society creates by all the tasks!
• Conscious Acts of Kindness - Write one positive email of praise or thanks to someone in our social network.

So here's my twist to make it mine.  Yes, I believe in twisting things to make them more personal.

3 gratitudes is great.  I also want to write them down in my journal.

Journaling, now we get to what I want to do here--I will journal in my blog!  Hooray more Books.  Sparkley Baubles, beads, and glittery things.  Grandkids are ALWAYS positive experiences.  And Good Black Earth--I made my garden plot plans yesterday.  We were going to go out and enrich the soil today, but we found snow on all the beds when we got up.  I like snow.  And as long as it doesn't fall on new plants or flowering trees.  So today is good.  My son-in-law the farmer told me 'dirt' as I called it is 'soil'.  I learn so much from him.  Really!  I've never thought about what goes into to getting my food, and how many grueling man hours it takes .  So interesting.

Exercising - Yoga!  And long brisk walks. 

Meditation - YES!

Camilla Kimball, wife of Pres. Spencer W. Kimball of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said-never let an opportunity for kindness pass you by.  I love that an have always made that my motto. So, conscious acts of kindness, yes.

I think I would spend 21 days on other kinds of goals, so why not one that will help turn my mind to happiness? March Resolution!  (Now you're going to watch and judge me if I don't write every day. I've set myself up for failure!  No, I'm not going to look at it that way. I'm going to rejoice in what I do do toward my goal.)