DAY 359 - THE MOVE

DAY 359

Living room

So what has happiness been in the last few months.... I think, first of all, I have discovered a love for decoration... I have truly enjoyed trying to create a beautiful and welcoming home.  I realized how, through time, my taste has evolved.  

When we first moved into our previous house, we loved antiques. Therefore, whether it was an antique or not, all our furniture had an old looking style.  Our walls were painted in yellow and orange colors.  All our decor was done in bright, vivid tones.  We moved there in our early thirties... we were building our life, we needed energy...

Now, we are middle-aged (god that sounds so awful!).  We need to slow down time.  We feel like we are always running.  So, in our new house, we chose relaxing, zen colors.  The decor is modern.  The lines are pure.  We don't have anything hanging on the walls yet.. and my husband and I both like it that way! We're so busy, we don't want our house to feel busy.  We wanted to create a calming, appeasing atmosphere and I think we have succeeded in doing so.

It was heart-wrenching for me to leave my old house.  I felt like I was leaving behind a period of my life - the house where my children were born, where they took their first steps.  When I left, after the movers had taken all of our belongings, I went into my car alone and cried. I felt sad, nostalgic. I was mourning the passing of time.

But, as we all know, the end of something is the beginning of something new.  As soon as I arrived to our new house, and the movers started to unload the truck, I had already turned the page. And today, although I still have moments of nostalgia, when I am in my new house, I feel happy!  I feel like I have been renewed.  I feel like a new wonderful period of my life has begun.

DAY 358 - THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE!

Day 358

I've now been thinking about happiness for almost 2 years.  I know so much more about it in a theoretical sense.  I know what I need to do in order to be happy.... Do I always apply my knowledge?  Well, not always but certainly more than before.  One of the things I've realized is that life has to be lived in the simplest way in order to be joyful.  No need for a luxurious cruise on the Nile or a safari in Kenya (which I would do any time if I had the opportunity).   But, there are cheaper ways to find happiness!

Today, one of my Facebook friends posted this image on her wall.

It reminded me of the simple things I need to include in my everyday life in order to make it better:

Hugs and kisses - You never give or receive enough of them.  They always feel good and, physiologically speaking, they never fail to make you feel happy.

Smiles - Smiling can help trigger a moment of joy in your life and into other people's lives.  And as Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Friends and family - It has been proven over and over again people with strong and broad social relationships are happier, healthier and live longer.

Love - I will just repeat what George Sand, female French writer, said: "There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved".

Sleep - How can you be happy if you feel exhausted?  Sleeping well helps you think clearly, be in a better mood (I know I'm very crabby when I'm sleep deprived) and obviously have energy to do all the things you love to do.

Good memories - Good memories are created daily.  Making sure you have happy moments every day of your life forces you to live in the present as well as create a bank of memories that could increase your happiness later on.

Being happy doesn't mean having everything you've ever wanted.  It means appreciating and using everything that is accessible to you to create the conditions that are conducive to happiness.

Have a happy day!!!!

DAY 357 - FINDING PURPOSE IN LIFE

Day 357

I've already established that finding a purpose to life is essential when it comes to happiness.  How can you be happy if you have no idea why you're doing what you're doing? Although this makes total sense, I have gone through phases where I wondered if THAT is it, if  THAT's all there is to life.

But then again, something deep inside me tells me that life cannot only be about going through your everyday routine, impatiently waiting for the weekend to socialize with your family and friends.  There has to be a deeper meaning. And for each of us, it's a different one.  It's just a matter of discovering what it is. Many sites on internet offer you ways to find out your purpose in life.  That's because so many people feel lost, trapped in a perpetual fast-speed, goal-oriented world.  And when they stop to try to make sense of it all, they cannot.

We're here, on earth,  for a very short period of time and whether you believe there is life after death or not, whether you believe in God or not, what really matters is trying to find out meaning to your life so that you can be happy and start doing what you were meant to do.

A friend of mine recently went through some kind of midlife crisis.  During one of our conversations, she pinpointed what I saw as being one of the ways to find out the purpose of your life.  She asked me if I had ever thought of what I would be remembered for after I die, what my legacy would be.

It made me think that life's purpose is about digging into your most profound being and finding out who you are, including your values and your talents, in order to make the right choices and insuring that what you're remembered for is an accurate representation of who you were.

And to really give your life purpose, your talents, abilities and values should be put in the service of others.  Nobody lives in a bubble, we are all interconnected.   And your legacy is not about you, it's about the people whose lives were somehow bettered thanks to you.

DAY 356 - IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR...

Day 356

Last weekend, we had a big family reunion.  All my aunts, cousins and their children were present.  We hadn't had such a family gathering in more than 5 years, so I was really excited and happy about seing everyone.

Molokhia

As you can imagine, being Mediterranean, food was a the center of the event.  My mother prepared her famous Molokhia, an Egyptian traditional dish, while my aunt baked her delicious Basboussa, an Egyptian dessert made with semolina.

As I always do, at a certain moment during the evening, I sat back and observed.  Everyone was talking, trying to catch up on lost time.  It all felt so familiar.  Although, we hadn't seen one another in years, it took very little time to reconnect. 

It was interesting to see how everyone had aged.  Life definitely leaves an inprint on people's faces, and sadness as well as happiness somehow finds its way into the wrinkles. 

Looking at everyone reminded me once again of how important it is to work on making happiness-inducing decisions in life...  It is so easy to lose focus and get stuck in a less-than-stimulating routine. Making every day count is not easy, but worthwhile.

We all left the party feeling very happy to have spent time together.  For a few hours, we all escaped our routine and reconnected with people we love.  It was simple, fun and it brought joy to so many of us... Maybe happiness is not as complicated as we think!

DAY 355 -I'M BACK

DAY 355

I haven't been writing for four months.  I can't believe how time flies.  At first, I believed I would be able to only write once in a while.  That's because I didn't foresee what was going to happen to me.    

Yes, I was busy packing boxes, buying fixtures, curtains and furniture for the new house, making sure the renovations were progressing as planned, taking care of my children, etc.  Yes, I didn't have much time to write.

But, it's not only the fact that I was physically busy trying to accomplish so much...  It's as though I didn't have any mental space left.  It's as though all my brain space was taken up by the project I was involved in.  I couldn't write the thoughts I was having about my experience because I was immersed in the present moment, swimming as fast as I could in order to try to get to shore on time.

Renovations and moving are said to be amongst the most stressful events in life... I was doing both... and in the middle of the school year on top it.

I often had thoughts about what I was experiencing.  But I couldn't imagine taking the time to write them down.  I had to focus on the task at hand and move forward.  Only now do I feel like I'm ready to analyze what I have experienced in the last few months and share once again my thoughts on happiness.

Am I going to have the same discipline I used to have?  Maybe not.  But I do know I will reach my destination of 500 days, no matter how long it takes me to get there.