15-20 Happy Days

My world has become so incredibly busy! I barely have enough time to post my Happy Challenge Posts on Facie, let alone post them here too. So this is a cram sesh for those of you who are reading this and aren't on Facebook too.....

15/100... Happy
Familiar faces make me happy. It is so nice going into a new place and seeing a familiar face.... The comfort that overcomes the insecurity of being out of a comfort zone.

Day 16/100...
Goofing around with friends and making people laugh is always the best part of any day! I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity multiple times today. So much laughter!

Day 17/100 of Happy...
I love having running partners!! I did not want to get out of bed this morning and I knew that my running partners would be bummed if I did not show up… So it motivated me to get my butt out of bed… And we ran 4.3 miles again, up and down hills and it was beautiful outside!

Day 18/100... Happy
10 minute power naps, accompanied with cranial.... Wow! What a recharge! Round 2 of today, bring it.

Day 19/100...
Happiness is feeling exhausted from the core out and having the opportunity to sleep. I'm not sure when I was this tired and I can actually feel my body absorbing and recharging while I sleep. It is a magical feeling.

Day 20/100.... Happiness
Today my happy moment involved crawling back into bed this evening. I felt completely wiped out all day today... I guess my day of sleeping yesterday wasn't enough recovery time from the crazy busy week I had. Pushing ourselves beyond our limits is always gratifying... and the well deserved rest is sooooooo wonderful.



There has been so much dancing this past week!  I noticed today at Kung Fu that I think these two can go hand in hand. (haha pun maybe intended)..... 

My Television Debut

Beginning, Middle, and End.  :)

14 and counting...

The past couple days got a bit crazy and although I didn't have time to sit in front of my computer, I was still thinking about the Happiness Challenge...

So we're back on track with day 14/100.

One of my favorite things is having a juicy conversation with someone. A conversation that feels effortless and by the end of it you feel like you've learned so much about the other person and yourself. It's a beautiful thing to watch someone as they figure out how to express themselves. In those moments of silence, you can see the thoughts behind their eyes. You can see their internal conversation by the movement of their eyebrows or slight deviations in their cheeks. "Oh, that was a happy thought... oh, now they are somewhere else, somewhere deep."

There are definitely times when we aren't even sure how we feel about something until we have expressed it out loud for someone else to hear. I know I have had many moments where I will be trying to express myself and once I get in the groove, words flow from me that I have never spoken nor consciously thought before and when I finish my line of thoughts I am amazed to hear what I said.

Listening is such an important part of having a conversation. Majority of people are really good at talking... but becoming a good listener takes a conscious effort. At the end of a juicy conversation where both people are great listeners and both people expressed themselves fully and honestly, there is a beautiful peace and a closeness and sometimes great relief.

I am a sucker for a good round of communication.

Lucky 13

13/100 Days of Happiness

Today's post gets summed up in one word:  Honored.

Language can be so very limiting sometimes, well, most of the time. Honored is the closet word I could come up with for the feelings I had today that made me very, very happy.  I was incredibly fortunate today to receive gifts from someone.  These weren't gifts of any sort of material substance or monetary value. To some, they wouldn't even appear as a gift.

I started my morning off by having a friend share with me stories from their soul. I do not know if the words they shared with me have been seen by anyone else. I was completely captivated and amazed at the raw beauty that was expressed. I do not know if there is any greater honor than to have someone open up their soul and say, "Look at me, in all my humble humanness, my wounds, my sad places that bring me tears and nightmares. Please let me share this with you." Now that is a gift. It is also a gift within a gift... for in that moment, I am given the opportunity to open up my soul and welcome someone in and be fully present with a very special aspect of that person. I think all of us want someone to see us. To see us in all of our imperfections, our wounds and the places we hide from even ourselves, sometimes. In that space, when we are seen and the other person doesn't judge and doesn't leave us alone, great, great healing happens. Our dark spaces become filled with the light of another and we realize love can exist where we once thought we were unlovable. Both people are affected by the opportunity of being exposed. Both people receive healing.

I am extremely happy and filled with honor to receive these gifts today. Thank you from the center of my heart.

Day 12 of Happiness Posts

Comfort zones..... soooo very comfortable. Wouldn't you agree? Familiar. Safe. Dependable. Deceptive... oooo, didn't see that one comin', did ya?  Comfort zones are soooo very deceptive. We think they are safe because they are familiar and dependable but they will keep you from experiencing life to the fullest!

A friend of mine has been asking me to go to salsa lessons with her for months. I've accepted the offer a couple of times and backed out at the last minute... I've flat out said no... and I've responded, I'll think about it....

I have tried salsa lessons a couple of times in the past and did not enjoy it. I felt awkward, like I had two left feet, and no rhythm. I didn't want a bunch of creepy dudes trying to get all close and weird with me. I didn't want to feel uncomfortable. I'll stay in my safe, familiar, comfort zone. Thank you very much.

Well, persistence pays off... I finally accepted her offer for real tonight. I showed up a little later than I said I would... I had to drag myself out of my car.... and force one foot in front of the other as I walked to the door. I didn't want to be there. I was immediately asked by three guys to dance and I laughed and graciously replied no. Hahaha.... but once again, persistence pays off. After about 7 songs, gracious laughter and gentle no's, I finally had to cave. I mean, I did come to a place where every single person was dancing. Comfort Zone was tied up in the backseat of my car anyways by this point.... here goes nothing.

I danced for two hours straight! I couldn't stop dancing! Did I step on toes? Did I look like I had two left feet? Did one person say, "Wow, it's like dancing with a Laugh Track."? The answer to all of those is YES.   I did have to ask the guy, "What's a Laugh Track??"  He replied, "You know in older sitcoms where they would 'cue' the laughter..."  ohhhhhhhhh.  Cue: Laughter.  hahahahah! 

By the end of the night, I think I was getting it down. I mean, I was never short a dance partner, despite the toe crushing moves I was busting out. And I was told a few times, You've got it (and at that precise moment I would lose it)... but hey! Cue: Laughter.  Keep on, keepin on! 

I'm already looking forward to next Friday night! When I made it back to my car, I noticed that Comfort Zone was no longer tied up in the back seat.... but was greeting me smiling in the front seat, a little bigger than I remembered.

I Love Being a Woman

Sometimes it can be a bit rough being a girl... we feel soooooooo much. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

One minute I am sitting in my room, all alone, laughing out loud while watching this.....

And the next minute I have tears streaming down my face as I read this and watched the video at the end:

This husband hired 23 artists to make the perfect birthday present for his wife
http://www.boredpanda.com/23-artists-recreate-family-photos-ernst-berlin/

Love is contagious...

Day Eleven... Happy!

11/100 Days of Happiness...

Oh BOY! Soooo today I am having a heckuva time picking which happy moment to write about! Wowza!! I think I was pretty much happy from the time I crawled out of bed until this very instance! (I'm actually sitting here with a big ol smile on my face)... Today was magical... for no particular reason. I was just buzzzzzing all day. I had two amazing mind blowing realizations today,  one was with a client of mine and the other was a reading at the end of yoga class tonight... I think they will eventually be blog posts once I process them fully... :)

I am soooooo glad I made myself go to hot yoga last night. Today's kung fu class, while still a whooping, was significantly better because my muscles were much more relaxed, even though I worked them out last night. There's some thing about the hot room that does wonders to muscles.

I headed to lunch afterwards and an eight minute slot out of 24 hours gets the shout out of the day!
I was sitting there eating with my friend and realized that the song that was playing over the speakers was totally making me jam out. I couldn't stop dancing. I was like, "Gosh, I like this song!" and he replied, "Yeah, I can tell. You haven't stopped dancing this entire time."

Shortly after that the song came to an end.... AND THEN REPEATED!!! I was like "OHH NO WAY!!!!" How awesome is it when your jam is on repeat!?  And it was just a glitch in the matrix because at the end of the second time through it moved on to another song. I was supppper happy.  :D Sometimes it's the little moments, that we just don't give enough credit to... I even looked at him and was like "This is TOTALLY my happy moment of the day post".... (I just didn't realize how great the rest of the day was going to go!) But in the end, the small moment wins the spotlight.

Watch out though!  This song will make you groooooove. I can not keep my shoulders still while it's on. HA!

10 out of 100... Happiness Challenge

Each evening I sit myself down in front of this computer and I go like this, "hmmmmm what was my happy moment today????" It usually takes me a good 15 minutes to figure out what the heck to write about. It's like I mentioned yesterday. There may be a lot of happy moments through out the day but figuring out why they were 'happy' and then summoning the words to express it, well, it's sometimes quite the challenge. I mean, I kinda laugh a lot (for those of you who know me... you'd agree, right???)... but picking a moment of laughter throughout my day and explaining why I was laughing takes things to a whole new level.... And then there is the realization that not every happy moment involves laughter. There are all kinds of levels of happiness. Gee... am I taking this too far??

Oh well....   :)

Yesterday (yes, I promise my happy moment of the day wasn't from yesterday. I get that negates the point of 100 days of happiness... just bear with me)... at the end of Kung Fu class, Shifu said something along the lines of, "When your body is completely exhausted and you are feeling utter fatigue, that is when you find out how strong you really are."

I woke up this morning with those words rattling around in my head and they have bounced around in my mind all day. (I've also had two very awesome songs stuck in my head all day too... Only Love by Ben Howard and Unsteady by X Ambassadors for those of you who are interested) :)

There is something in that phrase above that brings me deep happiness (ahh, and that's where the levels of happiness comes in, see what happened there?), profound peace, and a sense of power. At the end of any struggle, our greatest moment is when we get to look back at what we went through and we realize, I had the ability to keep going, even when all odds were against me and I didn't think I could make it, when everything in me was exhausted beyond reason, something in me kept going. 

We are always getting stronger.

I made myself go to hot yoga tonight... the 95 degree room felt like a welcomed hug when I first walked in... by 9:15 I was a pile of sweat. (Ironically I sweat way more in 95 degree classes then 105 degree classes... odd fact of the day???? Maybe I'll start that challenge come day 101 of this challenge... )... I digress...  There were a lot of moments with my eyes full of sweat and my muscles quivering when I was so thankful to have that thought rattling around... when you are feeling utter fatigue (and your eyes and ears are full of sweat), this is when you find out how strong you really are...

 You're welcome to let that thought rattle around in your brain tomorrow. Let me know how it goes.  :)

Day Nine

Day 9/100.... Happiness... 11/11 (my favorite day of the year!)

Today was a big day, well, for me. As I sat down to write my daily Happy commentary, I had zero idea how to actually express my happiness today. A client asked me today why I decided to do this and I told her the truth. I was typing it out on Facebook before I even knew what I was doing. I even thought to myself, "Well, crap. Now I have to follow through for the next 100 days. Great."  I also explained to her that initially I was focusing on things I was thankful for, and realized that being thankful and feeling happy (although usually fall in the same space) are actually two different emotions. It's been an interesting week and a half of actively focusing on moments where I am happy. That specific emotion... and then I have to communicate what it is I am happy about. Not always the easiest of tasks... which is a great segue into my Happy Ramble of the Day:

Communication. There is something so wonderful, to me, about people taking the time to talk through a misunderstanding. Life is full of feelings (big ones, small ones, fun ones, icky ones)... Life can get messy and confusing, sometimes way more often than we would like! It's always so sad to me when things get a bit cattywhompus and instead of talking about what's gone astray, things just end. I don't like to use the word confrontation, so I'll use the word approach instead. When there is a moment in life when feelings are high and things get off track, I like to approach that situation to seek perspective. I believe that is when really big growth happens, for each person involved. Does it take time and energy to sit down and express yourself and then fully listen to another person and consciously seek to understand them? Heck yeah, it does. But I find it is so so so worth it.

I find enormous happiness in approaching a cattywhompus situation and finding the other person is meeting me half way to talk things through. I already feel like things will be successful when the other person shows up in the middle. I can't talk a misunderstanding out all by myself. The other person always has to show up too. And gee, when they do, we're already half way to a resolution! When both parties show up, magic happens.  It makes life all the more juicy and delicious. Seeking to understand the other person's point of view can always bring an inner peace and a closeness that feels so much better than wondering what could have been....

Today I was lucky enough to be met half way by someone and that makes me very, very happy.  :) 

Inspired Thought

I am reading (more like devouring and studying and re-reading) as many books as I can get my fingers on by the man named Neville Goddard. Here is a paragraph from one of his book titled "Feeling Is the Secret":

'Ideas are impressed on the subconscious through the medium of feeling. No idea can be impressed on the subconscious until it is felt, but once felt -be it good, bad, or indifferent- it must be expressed. Feeling is the one and only medium through which ideas are conveyed to the subconscious. Therefore, the person who does not control their feelings may easily impress the subconscious with undesirable states.
    Control of feelings is not restraint or suppression of feelings... but rather the disciplining of Self to imagine and entertain ONLY such feelings as contributes to your HAPPINESS.
Control of your feeling is all important to a full and happy life. Never entertain an undesirable feeling, nor think sympathetically about wrong in any shape or form. Do not dwell on the imperfection of yourself or others. To do so is to impress the subconscious with these limitations. What you do not want done unto you, do not feel that it is done unto you or another. This is the whole law of a full and happy life. Everything else is commentary.

Every feeling makes a subconscious impression and, unless it is counteracted by a more powerful feeling of an opposite nature, must be epxressed. The dominant of two feelings is the one expressed. I am healthy is a stronger feeling that I will be healthy. To feel I will be is to confess I am not; I am is stronger than I am not.'


Wheweeeee. That is a good one to get locked in. Life would be SO incredibly different if we had so much discipline over our thoughts that we were able to keep negativity in check!

Eight

Day 8/100 at 8:08pm....

Well, today I had quite a few bouts of happiness to pick from (finally!) and as silly as it sounds, now I am finding it challenging to actually put words to any of the moments... let alone, pick one of them to focus and expand upon....

So with that in mind, today I will give a shout out to all the small moments. You know, the one's we often take for granted. A friend's smile, sunshine in the eyes, the excitement of a dog to see you, the laughter of a kid, the coziness of blankets, a great song on the radio, yummy food, a hug, a deep long sigh of relaxation, mom's voice, texts from siblings, advice from friends, resolution in our own thoughts and dreams... so many good moments that equal happiness.

Some days the over riding feeling is happiness... (while others is quite the contrary)... but today seemed to be sprinkled with small but important splashes of happiness and for that, ha, I am happy.

Day 7

Yes, yesterday I was too dang tired to even copy and paste my 'happy' post. So here it is, a day late....

Day 7/100...

Well.... I dig honesty. And in that light, I have to say that my happiness today was found in my imagination. Each time I could check the eff out of the day and daydream, I would be filled with happy thoughts.... And then the day would proceed and I would look forward to my next imagination sesh. Daydreaming is powerful though... Let's us know what we are asking to be brought into our reality. So here's to tomorrow. Cheers!

This past week has been kind of a bear, which I guess was a really good time to start a Happiness Check. I was surprised how annoyed I would get each evening that I had to find something to be happy about and share it. Ha! It made me question if I really am this happy-go-lucky person I think I am... and then the "encouraging" voice inside my head (not to be confused with the 'asshole' who also chimes in more often than appreciated) reminded me that everyone has rough weeks... and this week is a friggin breeeeeze compared to other weeks (ahem, months) I've lived through over the past year! I needed to quit giving myself such a hard time for, oh I don't know, being human and experiencing emotions.

Six

It's that time again... Day 6/100

I am shocked how rocked my body was today. That 4 mile run yesterday kinda took it outta me again today.  I was able to do the massages that I had on my schedule and, yes I'll admit it, crawled into bed at 4:45 .... BUT in my defense, it is winter in Alaska and the sun had set at 4:30 so it felt like it was 7pm.

By the time I had made it into bed I was so thoroughly exhausted that the very thought of moving made me want to cry... And as I lay there melting into the warmth of my covers, I realized something... ....... I was getting hungry.          Nooooooooooo!

I was so incredibly thankful when my mom answered her phone and said she'd bring me food and I was overjoyed when I answered the door and my sweet little brother handed me a sandwich. (It took every last ounce of my energy to get out of bed to answer the door)....

Sometimes it's the small stuff in our days that means so much to our happiness.

Day 5

So for my facebook friends, you may have realized I'm posting there, as well... but adding more detail to my posts here about the 100 Days of Happiness....

Tonight however, I am just too damn tired to add more details... this is a copy and paste from Facie...   :)

Day 5/100 of Happiness:
I awoke on the wrong side of the bed, sore from neck to toes, dragged myself out the door to meet up with my running buddies... Ran in the snow, up and down hills for what seemed like forever............. (I am not a runner. I just started last week and the furthest I ran was 1.5 miles)...
At the end of it, sweaty and breathless, I asked how far we ran: 4.33 miles!!!!!!
Happy Happy Happy! Most I've ever run and there were plenty of hills as well. Woot woot!


Must close eyes and recuperate...

The Number 4

The days are just ticking right along... 4 out of 100.  HA!

So I was laying in yoga class, stretching my kung fu rocked body thinking about what my happy posting would be about tonight... I had come up with a couple different ideas and shifted my thoughts (along with my yoga pose). I was thoroughly hungry (and therefore thoroughly grouchy by then end of yoga class... ironic, I know) and met a friend for dinner (yes, I forewarned about the grouchiness).

Thank goodness the food arrived quickly and the conversation was light and fun. At one moment the word stoic came up in conversation and it was asked, "Is that pronounced like 'stoyik' or stow-ick'?"  And we both agreed it was 'stow-ick'.  I said, "The other way reminds me of a pig noise... stoyik, stoyik" to which he replied, "Yes, indeed. An Icelandic pig; stoyik, stoyik".  I was overcome with full belly laughter and tears sprung to my eyes, my mind's eye filled with the image of an Icelandic pig oinking with an accent. Oh man, I love being filled to the brim with a laugh that comes barreling out in full force and causes the head to tilt back and happiness fills every cell.

Enough said

I feel like these two quotes speak for themselves quite nicely.               Be You. Unapologetically.  Period.

Three it is

Day 3 of 100....

Whew, when I first started this inspired idea (only 3 short days ago), I honestly had no idea how challenging it would be. Granted, my days have been a bit off recently which, I guess, made it the perfect time to start. Laying here in bed, rolling through my day, I pull out all the memories where happiness was hanging out... and once again, they can nearly all be found when I am in contact (via person or text) with my amazing friends. I am humbled by the support group that I have, at all hours of the day or night willing to pick me up, make me laugh, and even call me on my shit. It is truly, truly a blessing.

I am trying not to be redundant and actually come up with a unique happy moment for each 100 days and in that spirit, I would say my next most happiest moment included receiving a massage today! Oh mannnnnnnnn! My body was so sore after yesterday's incredibly strenuous class. I awoke with muscles I've never felt before hollering at me.... I felt miserable and like any attempt to move was going to result in failure. I awoke in a crummy mental place too, feeling plain icky.  :(

I was so incredibly fortunate to get a massage today and am honestly amazed at how much better my muscles feel. I know it sounds silly... I mean, I am a massage therapist and continuously see people with aching bodies (for many different reasons) but I guess it has been a long time since I received a massage with my body in that state and it left me shocked at how effective a massage can be! I find myself giggling out loud at how silly that realization is... and that confirms that it was a good call to give a shout out to massage for Day 3 of Happiness.  :)

Day 2

The Happiness... er, Opportunity.  Well, today it kinda feels like a challenge... I try to keep things pretty easy going on here, ya know, but today included a pretty big disappointment. There's no need for a lot of details. Sometimes those things just get in the way. We've all felt disappointment.... You know, the kind that makes your lips kinda point downwards and you find yourself shaking your head over and over through out the day, sometimes there are tears that well up but you hold them in... taking too many big sighs, trying to just let stuff go... yeah, it was one of those days. I was really thinking something great was gonna take place today and so here it is 30 minutes til midnight with big, fatty disappointment standing in for the 'something great' that was hoped for and I realized, Well crap. I have a 100 days of Happiness to write about and so I better get to it....

So it took me a lot longer tonight to figure out what to share... I had an extremely challenging Kung Fu class today, as well. The most challenging thus far (and that's saying A LOT). My body has felt exhausted and a bit shaky the entire day... but as I sat here and perused over my day, looking for happiness admits disappointment (and I couldn't write about how thankful I am for my friends again, since that was yesterdays happy moment)... I realized that my happiness was found in my overworked, exhausted body. When disappointment looms, and people don't follow through, I am so very thankful for my healthy body and how it showed up for me today. As I stood there with weights grasped in my outstretched arms, in horse stance, for who knows how long, with every muscle in my arms and legs trembling and sweat pouring into my eyes, I felt strong.  With the current feeling of heavy disappointment, it is really great to know that earlier today in a place of pure exhaustion, I felt a deep strength within. And for that I am thankful.

Day 1

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

That is one of my most favorite quotes. It just takes the pressure off and also makes one feel successful for taking that first step towards anything.

Those of you who are also on Facebook may know that I was inspired by a friend of mine to start a 100 Days of Happiness, uh, thing. I don't think it's a challenge. I think it's an opportunity. Each and every day I get the opportunity to think of something that I am happy about... for 100 days! Starting today!

Today I begin my 100 Days with gratitude for friends. Sometimes, maybe a bit too often, we take our friends for granted. I can't even imagine a world with out friends. Our friends are there for us when we're feeling low, they raise us higher when we're feeling great, they remind us of our light when we get clouded over by our own rain clouds. Not only do we have friends, but we get to be a friend, as well. What an honorable title to have:  Friend.

Today I am very, very thankful for all the friends I have, have had, and will someday meet. My closest friends, to my furthest friends and each and every one in between. Friends are the sweetness in life and I am happy to have so many wonderful people that I can call Friend.

So here's to YOU, my friend.  My world wouldn't be the same without you in it!!
And for that, I thank you.