Thoughts on Happiness

Today was a rainy spring day.  I like a good rainy day.  I do.  Especially when I get to be home for a while (after my school job) for a while before the girls come home.

I've been trying to be more mindful lately at doing things that make me happy so that I don't get burned out.  There's always laundry.  Always cleaning.  Always paperwork or an email that's pressing.  But we all need to make time to do the little things that inspire us, or help us to unwind.  Or even make us remember how grateful we are for God's blessings.



For me it's Fred Astaire or Frank Sinatra music and nesting in my house.  It's taking a few things from here or there and moving this or that to a new spot.  It could be starching a new linen and playing around with what tea towels I want to hang on my stove.

I asked the girls this past weekend, "what does mommy like to do that makes her happy."

I didn't take a picture of what Anna wrote but she took notes for me.  First thing out of her mouth was "nesting".  And so they listed for me

*      nesting
*     reading aloud
*     folding laundry and ironing (I do, really... when I can do it in small doses and I'm not feeling                overwhelmed by it)
*     taking photos
*     organizing a closet
*     baking
*     and on and on it went.


It sort of reminded me of this list that I made on the plane ride back from Hawaii.  I wrote 100 things that make me happy and why I love my life on that plane ride.



So today when I had that teeny block of time I took some time to do one thing that made me happy.

And it did.



Sometimes happiness means taking time to enjoy the fruit of my labor.  

Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a man than that He should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor.  Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.  

I have made a decision to put some enjoyment (on purpose) into my life. I want to enjoy my girls and not just "do" what I need to do for/with/to them. I purposefully step back and enjoy getting the toothpaste on Abigail's tooth brush in the morning. Or just hurrying her along for school while she staring out the window at a bird.

When my house is clean and pretty I need to take time to look at it and enjoy it.

I need to look at my calendar and look at the various things that I have done, or done with my girls and remember to feel a sense of accomplishment... look at what God has enabled me to do and say "it is good".

Yes, happiness is sometimes just remembering to enjoy. I've decided to enjoy more. More of the fruits of my labor and more of what makes me feel content and happy.

Wishing you a blessed week in all that you do.