We’re going to talk about some simple ways to be happier – starting today!
SO – On a scale of 1 to 10 – how happy are you? We recently heard a news story about how happy people are – or are not. They even used the scale and asked a few people – SO I thought Geezer and I should do the scale TOO.
I said that on the 1 to 10 scale I guessed I’m about an 8. Geezer immediately wanted to know why I was an 8 because he thought I’d say a 10. But nobody’s life is perfect – when we’re honest about it – and I’m only below a 10 because I’m a worry wart – that’s MY biggest imperfection.
Did you know there are many simple ways to be happier every day starting today? Let’s think of a few…
#1 – SPEND TIME IN NATURE:
Have you ever seen a more peaceful setting than the one in the picture above? I’ve always said one of my very favorite things to do is walk a woodland path. And we had an old man that lived next door for more than 3 decades and he owned the woods between us. And he’d get out there in the spring and mow a wide tractor path winding here and there through those trees to go way on back into the woods and make a loop back … and Geezer and I would get out there and walk those paths … OH my GOODNESS – how I loved that. I was absolutely in hog heaven when we’d take that hike.
I was always saying I was going to get with our neighbor and set up a haunted trail through his paths in the fall and let the schools come and go through it on field trips. That was such a big dream of mine. I was even dreaming of wagon rides. But our neighbor has gone on to his great reward now … and the 2 ice storms 2 years in a row just destroyed his paths.
But spend time in nature each and every day. Even if you just walk out the back door and just look at the trees and bushes and bees and butterflies. Have you ever just stood and studied a tree? I have and I LOVE just examining the absolutely AMAZING and miraculous detail in a simple tree. Try it some time … you don’t have to tell anyone you did it … just DO it! HEY!!! GO DO IT NOW!!!
#2 – COMPLIMENT OTHERS:
We had an elderly lady in our church for decades. She just passed about 2 years ago. And she told us over and over in Sunday School that the best way to make a forever after friend of a perfect stranger … is to compliment them.
Now it had to be a sincere compliment … but it could be a very simple one.
And she said to always seal that compliment by just taking hold of their arm or hand when you paid that compliment.
She said “Everybody needs approval and to know that they have positive things that others see in them.” But she said “When you just take the simple action of just touching their hand or arm as you speak to them … they’ll never ever forget that compliment.
Dorothy was a wise old woman and I loved her dearly.
I picked her up for church 3 times a week for 2 1/2 years and oh my goodness … the stories she told me on our rides to and from church and the wealth of wisdom she was so filled with.
#3 – BE SILLY:
Now some of you couldn’t do this no matter what. But give it a try! In Round Knob Canyon … we may be well into our senior years now but we LOVE to act goofy and we are each goofy about this or that daily. There’s a lot of laughter in this old canyon to only have it housed with 2 old folks that were born way back in the 40’s.
I’ll set down at the piano and start singing some old gospel song and geezer will be in his recliner just about 4 feet away and I’ll do part of the song and then I’ll get to the chorus for the 2nd time and I’ll just yell “GEEZER TAKE IT!!!” Meaning for Geezer to pick on up on the chorus – and he’ll start laughing and acting goofy.
And I’ve got this old gruff voice because of a bad thyroid and the longer I sing the more hoarse I get – and after a while he’ll say “Kill that cow – don’t let it suffer” and he’ll just laugh roly poly all over …
We do lots of goofy things to entertain ourselves and each other. Because we know the value of laughter.
So be thinking of something goofy and let’s all do it together at 7pm tonight … how bout it?
#4 – STOP COMPLAINING:
Are you the type of person that no matter what someone says to you … you have something negative to say about it? Well if you are … STOP IT!!! NOBODY likes a FUSS budget! And does it make YOU feel any better to always be a whiner? I doubt it!!! So be a picker upper instead of a letter downer …
Listen to yourself every time you talk today … and if you start to complain … STOP IT!!! And say something positive! There’s an old saying that says “If you were given 5 cents for every good thing you say and 5 cents was taken away for every bad thing – would you be rich or poor?” Think about that!
#5 – DROP A BAD HABIT:
Well let’s see … I was going to name one of my bad habits that I could drop .. .but I have so many I can’t pick one. Maybe one would be that I don’t eat a lot of food on any give day … but I drink more milk than a baby calf. BAD – UNHEALTHY HABIT!
I’m a control freak! It doesn’t matter where I am when something goes wrong – or if I know the people or am even involved in any way. I have this strong urge to take control and FIX IT! I also am obsessive/compulsive like MONK.
I can’t stand a wrinkled throw rug or a crooked lamp shade or litter …
and that’s in my house OR yours 🙂
We were at the funeral home a few months ago and were in the line that winds around through several rooms and in one hall the picture was crooked on the wall. That kind of thing just drives me UP THE WALL. So I kept looking at the picture and trying to watch Geezer out of the corner of my eye … because he hates it when I mess with things like that that are not mine. And I thought he was turning away to talk to the man behind us and I was about to reach for the picture and straighten it and he said “Aaahhh GOTCHA – If you touch that picture I’m gonna break your arm” :8)
Now he wouldn’t have really … but he KNEW what I was THINKING …
So let’s try to think of one bad habit to drop every day.
Oh you think you don’t HAVE ONE? Just ask your husband/wife … best friend .. .mom … the cashier at the grocery 🙂 I’m sure they can all help you with your LIST!
Just a little tidbit of things to think about from the canyon …