Either Way You Win
Tag: happiness
Follow Your Heart
My daughter left me a note of advice.
Reading this part makes me feel like I did something right. How many 19-year-old’s say this?
“Take this time while I’m gone to do things that fill you up and make your heart smile.”
This morning, I woke up feeling guilty about recent purchases. Does that ever happen to you?
I’m over it now because without even realizing it, I took her advice and acted on it.
As you see in A Doggo’s Life, our doggo’s are sharing a dog bed. I wanted our new puppo to have her own bed, so went in search of the perfect dog bed. In my mind I pictured exactly what it should look like, but 4 stores later didn’t result in that bed.
That was my mind, but what did my heart say?
Step One.
Back before Thanksgiving, my daughter and I were in a store where everything is pretty, but reasonably priced. I saw a rug that made my heart smile. My daughter saw my face light up, but she also knew we were setting aside all extra money for England.
Guess what? She’s in England and I still have money. Glory to God!
Yesterday, I went back to that store see if the rug was still there. It had been months, so what were the odds? Would it be on sale after Christmas?
It was in the rug bin along with one other rug.
It wasn’t on sale, but I had a price in mind that I was willing to pay. I found a sales lady, and inquired about the price of the rug. Full price was too much, but I’d walk out of there with it if she took $50 off.
Step Two.
The sales lady found an online coupon she could apply to meet my price! Then it became confusing.
She asked, “Is that the color you want? We have another one in the back that’s grey.”
The rug standing in the bin is a light color, which I gravitate toward, and it has pale gold shimmers running through it, but my daughter loves grey!
They grey one was equally pretty, and I knew my daughter would love it. What did I do? Like any good Mother, I loaded the grey one in my truck.
Score one for the mind.
Step Three.
I sat in front of the store staring at the rug laying across the backseat. The sales lady told me if it wasn’t right, to bring it back and get the other one, but I wanted to know in my heart what to do.
I found myself walking back into the store swapping the grey for the one I wanted. I followed my heart all the way through. My daughter will be happy.
Looks like we found the perfect dog bed after all.
Surround Yourself
It’s important what’s around you.
My bedroom has always been a haven.
I’ve had some glamorous ones, but the one I have now is simple. Do I miss the ginormous bedroom with it’s own sitting area? Nope. Now I sit in the middle of my bed, and watch the day begin as the sunlight streams through the double windows.
I’m surrounded by my favorite things.
This is a beautiful attitude adjuster.
It reminds me how we’re supposed to live our daily life. If we do all things with love, even things we might dread, the main emotion we feel is love.
Maybe you have a job you’re not particularly passionate about. Do it with love, and it gets better. Love encompasses and overpowers negativity.
Here is a card from my daughter.
I’ve had this frame for years. It has just enough bling, but on the verge of being gaudy. Seeing this card sitting by my bed makes me smile because it’s what my daughter sees, and what I strive to be.
People who love us can see our full potential. Even when we don’t, they do.
What does your world resonate? Is it filled with people and things that make you better? If not, you may want to change how you surround yourself.
(Featured Top Photo by Íris Juana on Unsplash)
Permission to Say No — Leaving it better than I found it
Next week is Thanksgiving. In a lot of people’s minds, this kicks off a shit show of a stressful 2 months of being over committed, over fed, and broke. Today I want to encourage you to consider taking a different approach. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what you truly enjoy about the holiday […]
via Holiday Season Challenge – Permission to Say No — Leaving it better than I found it.
Stand in the Rain
Why does everything look better after the rain?
This evening, I sat down on the step outside, and looked over at a plant. This plant has struggled and was nearly dead. I had set it aside, not knowing what to do. It hasn’t looked happy in a long time. Then, it sat in the rain. Now it’s unrecognizable. I wasn’t sure it was the same plant.
Maybe we don’t need as much attention as we think we do.
Next time it rains, I want to stand in the rain.
The What If’s
My daughter filled the crock pot with wonderfulness yesterday. I am not sure what all it has in it, but it’s true love in a mug. Some of it was Almond milk, Espresso, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and fall spices. I saved what was left and placed it in the fridge. We don’t own a microwave, so there was something about heating it up in a small pan on the stove that placed me directly in happiness mode.
I took time this weekend to read some Blogs I follow.
For some reason it was like some of their words jumped off the screen at me. They gave me the strength to reopen my Patreon page. A few Bloggers that I follow use Patreon. One is Little Fears. Anyone that writes about Little Fears is brave in my mind. He is usually the first Blogger to ‘like’ my posts.
After working on my Patreon page, I sent the link to a friend. She said, “I will support you!” That is not what I was expecting. I just wanted her opinion about what it said, and how it looked. It warmed my heart to know that she would.
She asked, “What if each reader gave $1?” She also reminded me, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
So, I scanned through some other Patreon pages, and found one that brings in over $5,000 a month. He has over 5,000 Patrons. Her philosophy worked for him, so what if?
Personally, I wouldn’t know what to do with that much money a month. I would be able to quit my job, write full-time, and publish a book. What if that happened? I would be happier than I already am. Am I fearful of being happier than I already am? Let’s keep moving forward, and find out.
Everyday is Different
My daughter brought home a case of these yesterday.
This is happiness. Butter and coffee. What is not to love?
Our dog was laying by her bedroom door today, while she was on the phone. She opened her door to step out, and he moved out of the way. She asked, “Was Mochee laying by my door this whole time?” She was barefoot, and noticed the warmth of the hard wood floor where he had been laying. I love that she notices these small details of life.
Our landlord is burning brush in the field next to us, and all we can think about is wanting to roast marshmallows.
Now it is night, and I stepped out on the porch a few minutes ago. Living in the country, you always where shoes stepping out there at night. Every now and then you will find a Scorpion hanging out on the porch too. Our ginormous, white, barn cat is laying on the step. He will take down a Scorpion for the person who cares for him.
I feel more at ease with him laying there. We named this cat ‘Meh’. because he doesn’t fully meow, he just says, ‘Meh.’
Everyday is different, and I love that about our life.
At night before bed, my daughter and I talk about what we would like to accomplish the next day. It’s not set in stone. We stay flexible throughout the day, and let life flow. We make a plan, but also make adjustments where needed. If it’s that important, it will get done, but when it’s time.
I haven’t found anything more important than just spending time together, and making adjustments throughout the day for each other’s happiness.
