The 5 Cornerstones to Eternal Happiness

My baby is FINALLY down for the count and taking his afternoon nap in the bedroom so I can sneak away and do some writing. Ever since we got back from Hawaii, it seems like my life quadrupled in work (housewifey bidness, odd jobs I am picking up), personal aspirations (I REALLY want to write that darned book I said I would work on since I was 20), stress (bills, credit issues, fixing up our old apartment), and physical ailments (extreme hair loss, plugged milk ducts that we won’t get into…). I feel overwhelmed and a bit hopeless as I take a step back and ask myself “Why am I doing all of this?” I ponder it all over a pint of ice cream (end of summer sale!) and two mini scones (gotta be cutting the calories somewhere) and start delving into the really dark and philosophical questions of life and human existence when I run out of Phish Food since Patrick’s really going to kill me now (it’s his flavor). But before I jump off the deep end, I need to take a step back, breathe, and remember that IT’S ALL GOOD. The sun is still out, my biddy babes is as chubby as ever, and at some point my hair’s gotta grow back...right?

When I have blah days like this, I always remember my list of 5 things that keep the stir out of the crazy and the “why” out of happy:

1.    EXCITEMENT- It’s the little things I look forward to in life that keep me going: A dinner with friends, out-of-town visitors, cracking into that bottle of wine… When there are good times, experiences, and things to be had in the near future, it sure keeps you going like a dangling golden carrot.

2.    KEEPING YOUR TRIBE CLOSE- Oftentimes I find myself preoccupied with social interactions that have gotten me down like a spat with a coworker, finding out indirectly what someone really thinks of you, or not getting that invite to a party. It’s a proven fact that at any given point in your life, you can only have up to 12 people in your inner circle (the people who truly matter and are fully relevant in your life) so fretting over ruffled feathers anywhere else is a needless expenditure of energy. Just smile, nod, and move on.

3.    TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY- Over the years, it’s become blatantly apparent that my happiness is almost directly linked to the health of my body image. When I take care of my body, it takes care of me and I am liberated to live and love without secretly searching for a mirror to look into around every corner. And when you are physically well and capable, you can just do more and run faster, you know?


4.    MAKING GOALS- Progress is happiness. Learning something new, discovering, challenging yourself, accomplishing something…happiness is being able to look back on your last five years to see how far you have come. Make a goal for yourself today and if you have trouble keeping it, just tell someone or post it on your blog. Or email me—I won’t let you forget about it.

5.    PICKING YOUR BATTLES- Life is hard. Period. If you let all the things bother you that you could be bothered by everyday, then getting out of bed each morning would even be a chore. I remind myself that I’ll always win some and lose some, and all the some’s in between just get tossed to the wind.

What are your keys to happiness?

Grandpa always makes King happy.

This grandpa makes King happy, too.