If you want to be happy, be.

This quote was in a newsletter I got yesterday.  It was attributed to Leo Tolstoy.  A short little sentence it is, but oh the power it assumes.  As I read it and thought about it, I could almost feel the happiness roll over me. 

If you want to be happy, you can be happy.  Why is it that we tend to give away to others the power of our own happiness?  By that I mean the self defeating statements that I know I’m guilty of enunciating like “I’ll be happy when  . . . we can buy a bigger house . . . this winter is over . . . fill in the blank.”  It could be anything on which you hinge happiness. 

 So, stop waiting ... 
Until your car or home is paid off. 
Until you get a new car or home. 
Until your kids leave the house. 
Until you go back to school. 
Until you finish school. 
Until you lose 10 lbs. 
Until you gain 10 lbs. 
Until you get married. 
Until you get a divorce. 
Until you have kids. 
Until you retire. 
Until summer.. 
Until spring. 
Until winter. 
Until fall. 
Until you die. There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, 
and, dance like no one's watching. 

If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.  It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with ... and remember that time waits for no one. 

I recall a story that was emailed to me a few years back.  A man’s wife had just died and he was preparing the outfit in which she would be buried.  In her closet he comes across several brand new outfits, lovely ones, still with tags on them.  She had been saving them for something, some special time, not thinking that the day may never come.  Feel good and be happy now.  Why had she not enjoyed the new clothes and the way they felt against her skin or the way the color set off her eyes?  Why wait?

Okay so as we roll into another year, I’m going to post this little quote on the top of my day planner.  I will write it in random places in my calendar to remind me that I don’t need a reason or have to wait to be happy.  My life is good today. 

Merry Christmas all!

Quote For The Day

"Don't be afraid to follow your bliss and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be."

~Joseph Campbell~

The NEXT 45 Years

Yesterday was my 45th birthday. The weather was hot and the sky was blue, a near perfect spring day here at home. Had I been able to select the weather, I would have picked just that kind of day. As time passed through the day, I received many great birthday wishes via Facebook. My husband and daughter took me out for dinner then had a little celebration at home with the requisite cake and candles. It was a nice day.




So that makes today Day # 1 of the next 45 years of my life. Perhaps that implies that this is what I have determined to be the halfway point and to be honest, I’m shooting for 100 years, but just for the sake of conversation, let’s say that this is the start of the balance of the time I have to spend on this planet. I do hope that I am so lucky as to make it that far. With that thought in mind, I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish and experience in the NEXT 45 years of my life.



I started a list. Did someone refer to this as a “bucket list?” As I got into the list, I found that I had specific things, like learn how to make a kick ass salsa and ride Kingda Ka, and I had more general things like travel around for a year in an RV and stay strong.

I'm short on time to post today.  I think I will start a list here on this blog of the things I plan to experience during my next 45 years.  I would love to hear your ideas and dreams about what you want to accomplish in the next five, ten, twenty or even forty five years.  Please comment and inspire!