We all want to be happy.

It seems “happy” is the vague utopia all citizens of earth strive for but never seem to achieve.

Well, I’m not here to relay a magic formula to achieve “happy” — that’s another post — but here’s a small list that I’ve come up with that helps my days become a little “happier.”

1. Make your bed. Yep, do it. The state of your bed is the state of your head, and how much cleaner and uncluttered is your bedroom and your mind when your bed looks pretty!

2. Watch the sunrise. It’s ever-changing, never duplicated, and always beautiful. What better way to begin the day than with earthy beauty?

3. Create an inspiring play list. Music influences us body, soul, and spirit. Find the titles that inspire you and listen!

4. Eat breakfast. Don’t skip it, eat it! Your brain functions so much better when it doesn’t have to compete with an empty stomach, not to mention your emotions will thank you for the nourishment!

5. Be nice. Who is the first person you have contact with in the morning? Make the conscious choice right off the bat to be sweet, sincere, loving…not grumpy. It’s a choice you can make!

6. Breathe. Days get hectic, it’s inevitable, right? The unexpected happens, and our otherwise manageable (or so we thought) day becomes grossly out of proportion with our level of sanity. Cause yourself to breathe.

7. Laugh out loud. Take a break to watch a 30 second YouTube clip or call up a friend who makes you laugh. The release of endorphins will be worth it!

8. Take in your surroundings. Whether at the office or out for a stroll, take it in! Look for the little things that are just waiting to bring a little splash of sunshine into your world.

9. Refresh your make-up. {Guys, splash some water on your face and grab an Altoid} Maybe a dab of lip gloss after lunch, a midday eyeliner touch-up, or an afternoon spritz of perfume from the trial size in your purse. There’s something about “touching up” something that revitalizes your mind and perks up your mood.

10. SMILE. It’s easy. Make the effort to smile at those you make eye contact with. You never know if that might not be just what their day needed, and it will improve your mood without your even knowing. It’s a simple choice…choose to smile!

Our days are too short to waste and not enjoy. Simple tweaks in our routine can make all the difference between surviving and thriving in our everyday!

How are you choosing to thrive today?

Photo Credit:  Charles Henry

(If you received this post via email, be sure to click here to watch the video.)

Each week I have a standing appointment with my friend, accountability partner, encourager, cheerleader — while we were talking and sharing “life” with each other we started to giggle…looking for our EASY BUTTON for life!  Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to make life easier by simply pressing. the. button. — really nice, BUT not. going. to. happen.

Through out laughter we both agreed that the difficult times have been blessings.  We didn’t always see them that way when we were going thought them, but looking back, we have chosen to look for what we’ve learned, how we’ve grown, and how we have become stronger.

This morning as I was driving my kids around “taxi-mom” I was listening to the radio — I heard a message that reminded me of the easy button conversation with my friend…that’s what I talk about on my video today.

1.  We are currently going through a difficult time
2.  We just went through a difficult time
3.  We are about to go through a difficult time

Our HOPE?

…we are still breathing.

The fact that we are still breathing means that there is more in store for us!  We have purpose. Something to learn. Areas to grow. People to reach and influence.  SO, instead of looking for that easy button — decide to look for who you can become, who’s life you can impact, how you can shine your light as you journey through.

Would LOVE to hear what you do when you’re prompted to look for that easy button…

Photo Credit: kilonad

Not only is this both an art and a science, (it is really a complicated process!) it is a great time to catch up with old friends. My ‘station’ is by the sink and stove, with one of my most respected friends, ‘Sus’. She is really like family. Because life is busy, we don’t get to see each other or even talk all that frequently.  But when we do, I so appreciate her. Her example. Her heart. One of the many reasons I look forward to this weekend.

In recapping my Pickle Party, I realized there are some important lessons learned. Not only for pickling, but for life in general:

• Pay attention to detail. To process. To your team members. (Those jars won’t seal and your pickles will ‘sour’ if each step isn’t followed correctly! Isn’t that also true with certain real life situations?)

• Collaborate. It is a team effort, and each person has a valued role.

• Listen. To not only direction, but to each other!

• Teach. Take time to teach each other a craft, trade or simply life lesson learned. Pass on something to the next generation!

• Laugh. Don’t take yourself too seriously!

• A little sweat labor yields a priceless product.

• Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

• Take time to start and keep a meaningful tradition.

• Make reconnecting with your family / friends a priority.

and lastly…..

DON’T HIDE THE GOOD PICKLES IN THE LAUNDRY CABINET. ENJOY THEM!

Pretty good life advise, don’t you think?  …….thanks for the great pickle party Marian!

Last week, our family piled into our car, and headed west. 10 hours west to be exact. We toured South Dakota for the next 5 days before we turned around and headed back the same 10 hour stretch as our trip began.

One of the traditions my husband started when we backed out of our driveway was to play the song, “Holiday Road” every time we got in the car. (You know, the theme song from National Lampoon’s Vacation?)  The reaction from Gracie was joyful. She began singing along the minute it started. “Turn it up” she would scream with delight. Owen on the other hand, got a little grumpy. Like he was ‘too cool’ to participate in our silly family fun. I would sneak a look in his direction, and see him trying desperately hard NOT to smile. Before long we would all be laughing and singing along… “Holiday Road, oh oh oh, oh oh oh, Holiday Road oh oh oh, oh oh oh!”

We had the most amazing time exploring, sight seeing, appreciating the God given beauty of the Bad Lands and Black Hills. I knew it was going to be pretty. Just didn’t realize how pretty. Breath taking, really. There were several times during this trip when I sat back, consumed with gratitude. Gratitude for my family, for this opportunity to spend time with them. And to share appreciation for each other and the beauty around us.

As you can imagine, a road trip like this can also lend itself to some irritability as we were in each others’ hair, literally 24/7. At times I felt like we were playing a part in a National Lampoon movie. (Please don’t speculate which character I was playing!) Tempers flared, patience grew thin. But somehow we would rally. These moments were usually short lived, and we would soon be back to singing, “Holiday Road….”

So here’s to all of you taking Griswold family vacations this summer! And for those of you considering… just do it! You won’t regret the memories you will make with your family. All of them. The good, the bad and the ugly!

Please share with us your summer vacation memories, and silly traditions!

What do you think?  Do you think it’s beautiful?  The flower in the picture to the left;  it IS a flower isn’t it?

He picked this flower just for me while he was on a bike ride with Rachel, our nanny, yesterday.  Actually, she told me that he asked her to help him pick it……how sweet.  Once he got it in his hand, he pedaled carefully on his bike all the way home; very cautious to eliminate any chance of having the fuzzy parts blow off.  He was successful.  It arrived PERFECT!

When I got home and saw this flower sitting on our kitchen counter in the plastic cup full of water, my heart melted!

After he gave me the flower I thought to myself, “While on a bike ride, would I have thought…THAT was beautiful?”  Hhhhmmmmm ~ Probably NOT.  But, now that I have it, now that I’ve received it as a gift, I think it’s beautiful!  Why?  Because of the heart behind it.  the motive.  the thoughtfulness.  the joy.

What I’m noticing is this:  As I GROW I gain different perspective.  With different perspective comes NEW realities and NEW truth.  With the NEW realities and NEW truth comes a greater appreciation.  With that greater appreciation I see more things BEAUTIFUL!

I love the journey of growth that I’m on.  I would definitely say that the things I find beautiful today are extremely different than that of 5 years ago.  What I didn’t notice as beautiful before has NOW become beautiful to me.  I’m NOT just talking about the flower I received.  I’m talking about people. art. words. relationships. places. music. frogs. bad experiences (YES, BAD experiences are NOW beautiful!!).  The saying, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ has a more profound meaning to me these days…….I’ve got different eyes!

Has your perspective of what’s beautiful evolved, is it evolving?  I’m grateful mine is………lovin’ MY BEAUTIFUL flower!

She posted this blog Best books on writing AND photography/photo editing tips – I read it.  I appreciated the tips, but what I appreciated the most is the video she shared at the end.  Above the embedded video she wrote, “Get ready to shimmy your shoulders…” that intrigued me so I watched it.

My shoulders didn’t shimmy, but it sure did stir up something in my heart.  It got me thinking about what I’m doing in my life and with keeping it personal.  It was like the questions and statements in the video/song were reading my mind;  I’ve asked them OR thought them ALL before.

Then I questioned, is what we are doing a “form” of ART?  Writing? Keeping it Personal?

What is ART?  That is a word that I would NOT use to describe anything about me!  In fact, I would say that I am the LEAST artistic person that I know!!  So, like I always do, I asked dictionary.com what the definition was.  It says:  skill, creativity.

This makes sense to me:  The video is ART, the song behind the video is ART, the writer of the song, Tanya Davis, she’s creative and has skill – to me, that is ART.

ME?  I’m wrestling with how to describe what I’m doing.  Here are my questions/thoughts……….

Just because I like them, does that mean I should I mic them? and see what might unfold? || I think of the significance of my opinions here, is it significant to be giving them? does anybody care? || Just because I’m into this does that mean I should live like it? AND really do I dare? || I can’t always tell if I ought to? || If I make it will someone take it and think that its genuine?  Would they be glad that I did because they got something good out of it? || Will they leave me and be any more inspired? || I question the outcome of the outpouring of myself. || If I tell everyone my stories will it keep me healthy and well? || Will it give me purpose?  be some sort of service to the world? || Is it worth it?  how can I tell? || What am I passing on? || What seeds are being planted? || Can a broken heart make great art? || Experiment. (BUT, what will others think?) || Don’t care much. (BUT, I do!) || My heart is trying to hard to follow you, but I can’t always tell if I ought to.

Check out this video…….

Does is make you want to “shimmy your shoulders”? OR  Does it stir something in your heart?

I think that what I’ve decided is that what we are doing is ART.

Thursday, June 4th I was exhausted.  My back had been out for a couple of weeks, I was slowly on the mend, but things were not being accomplished because I just was NOT feeling up to it.  The boys were NOW out of school – so the transition from “my” time during the day had begun.  I needed to adjust to sharing the treasured hours during the day, where I could accomplish things with out distractions, with worrying about the boys being bored, having something fun to do, breaking up the “brotherly love” fighting, and taxi mom to play dates, day camps, and sports activities.  UFDAH – it was JUST the first day of summer!!

My todo list was VERY long – we were in the process of getting our home ready to put on the market.  It’s amazing to me how much work needs to be done to get the house ready for others to see it.  The punch list from the realtor was 3 pages long!  I had to call in the troops to assist me with my mini-extreme makeover home addition project.  I had THAT day ONLY before I was headed out of town to meet a friend who I hadn’t seen in 1 year, so I needed to make the best of it.

I woke up that morning, still NOT feeling well, and begun visualizing my day.  It didn’t look pretty.  Here were my racing thoughts:  My husband was out of town (hhhmmmm, how convenient?!?!?) so he wasn’t available to help.  Every closet and cupboard had to be de-cluttered and organized.  The movers were coming to rearrange and remove furniture to put into storage.  The handyman was coming to fix things, paint, drill, hang, etc.  Tina, the home “stager” was coming to suggest and give pointers on how to make the home SHINE for showings.  Kelly, my cleaning lady was coming to help with cleaning, wash windows, and sorting things into piles:  Keep.  Toss.  Good Will.  It was going to BE Grand Central Station.  Then I thought………I  sure do love my little nuggets dearly, but I knew that the day would be stressful with them being home.  I had forgotten about THEM being home, school was OUT!!  oops!

Then I got the phone call.  My friend Tricia called.  She asked if she could pick up the boys and take them for the afternoon.  WOW, REALLY?!?!  Apparently I had mentioned to her previously about this day and she knew the boys would be out of school.  So, she offered to take them for the day.  I felt a little guilty at first, you know, the “SUPER mom guilt” which causes you to respond to an offer like that this way, “Oh, NO, that’s ok, I can manage.” The LIE that just so easily flows out of our mouths – we say NO when we REALLY REALLY mean YES – HELP ME!!  SOS!!  Ok, so that’s what I did initially UNTIL she insisted and wouldn’t take NO for an answer.  She picked up the boys around 11:00am – took them to her home, fed them, played with them, let them run around and have a BLAST at her home on her land out in the country.  I was able to tackle my punch list with OUT any distractions.  She was a BLESSING to me that day, and I STILL appreciate it so very much!

What’s more is that in addition to the FREE gift she blessed me with by watching my boys, a couple of days later she emailed me these special gifts.

WOW!  PRICELESS pictures of my boys!  I hadn’t taken the time in years to have professional photos taken of the boys and she captured them so beautifully!

Thank you Tricia for blessing me that day and Thank you for keeping it personal,  for taking action with the lingering thought that passed through your mind to help me.  I appreciate you and our friendship.  I hope to sometime return the blessing to you!!  :-)

Ps.  If you’re looking for a GREAT photographer check out her work on her website by clicking here.

I was driving this morning, at 6:30, heading to my chiropractor appointment; drinking my coffee and listening to the radio.  I heard the phrase “Live out Loud” –  it set my mind racing!!  I formed a question in my mind, what does it mean to live out loud?  I started brainstorming what it means to ME and jotted down a few of my thoughts in my journal.

Living out loud means………..NOT being ashamed of what others think about where I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had.  Being willing to open up and connect with others about life’s struggles.  Sharing where my strength and hope comes from; God and a personal relationship with Christ.  Striving everyday to be a light in the world and to be helpful to others.  Transparency, NO masks and being honest.

THEN I started to wonder how others would answer this?  So, I sent out a “quick question” email from my blackberry to some friends, it said this, “Could you take 2 minutes and answer this question quick?  What would it mean to you to “live out loud” – can you share your thoughts on living out loud? Do you live out loud? How? Thank you so much for your input! Love, Teri”  I LOVE the uniqueness of the responses I got from my friends and family – THANK YOU for contributing,  I truly love and appreciate you ALL!!  Below are their answers, uncensored……

“Living out loud is extremely rewarding! When one of the kids win an award, I’m the mom Cheering out loud while everyone else claps quietly! When I have accomplished a goal, I’m out there encouraging others that they can do the same thing! As a single mother, I bought my first house, celebrated that in the middle of a company meeting! I made a goal to buy a BMW, it took 5and a half years, but as a single mom, I accomplished that! I lived out load by telling everyone who complimented my materialistic automobile that I had that goal for 5 and a half years, and I did it!!!!  I managed a team of 10 salespeople and encouraged them with praise and celebration when they succeeded, loudly! The way I look at the question: do you live out load, I think, YES! I don’t worry about what others think of me…. It’s none of my business! I get up each day to encourage and help mankind! I do it with energy! I do it with a smile! And I do it because I want to!!!!!  ~ KP

“Living out loud to me means to be able to share your life’s passions, goals and beliefs with those around you. I am passionate about kids and instilling in them a love for their families and teaching them about their faith. Living out loud means making connections with others that have the same passions as you and being able to learn and grow from each other.” ~ KMP

“Living out Loud….Waking up every morning and watching the sun rise….Listening to the birds…Seeing the beauty in the world God has put before our eyes…Watching the sunsets…Loving with all your heart and like you’re never going to get hurt…Being there with a gentle heart and caring hands for others…Enjoying every moment and making the most out of every opportunity…Listening with your heart…Loving like there’s no tomorrow…Looking for the positive in everything and everyone…ACCEPTANCE…That to me is Living Out Loud.”   ~ DN

“I immediately think of the song – “wake the neighbors, get the word out, crank up the music….and shout”. So, I first think of “living out loud” and the message of excitement of having a relationship with the Lord and wanting to shout from the rooftops and share the passion I have for God.  I live out “louder” in some areas of my life than others. With some friends/family I speak freely about the love and excitement I have for God. In other areas of life it is more indirect. I try to stand firm in my faith and let the light of God shine out. I think living out loud is living out the Word and what is in your heart and not keeping it inside to yourself. However you can “live out loud” – speaking and sharing the Word, kind actions, patience, tolerance and love.” JE

“Living “Out Loud”. I’ve never thought of it before, but I guess to me it would be living your life as if each day were the most important day. No matter what is on your schedule, you do it to the fullest. Loving life & making the most of it. As a Christian seeing each circumstance or trial as an opportunity to trust the Lord & grow in your faith & finally being ready to share Christ’s love with a testimony or helping hand, taking a stand when you may be the only one “standing” for the truth. Letting your actions, attitudes etc define who you are, with out having to be in your face preachy to someone.”  ~ SMF

“Living out loud is about sharing your love of living with others. Don’t let your happiness stay within you give it away to others! When you are loud with your living and loving it is catchy! Let others catch the fever…..live out loud today and every day!”  ~ KM

“To live out loud means to me living a life with example. To live life out loud is to be seen by others a way of life that your living.  Basically walking the walk and not just talking the talk. That’s how I see it.”  ~ RRS

“I think living out loud means to be bold in your faith…people knowing you’re there being the example Christ set for us.  Working at getting better at this, but don’t feel like I’m fully “living out loud”.”  ~ WL

“Living out loud to me…. what a great question. I guess to me it means sticking to what I believe no matter what! No matter who I am around! I make sure I am who I say I am at all times: I am a daughter to a almighty savior and I try and live every moment for his glory. I am a Christian and a GOD fearing one!!! I want everyone who knows me to know that! I don’t push things on people but I know that everyone who “knows” me, KNOWS this about me. THAT is how I live out loud!!! ”  ~ AK

“Live out loud… Letting my heart be apparent from inside out and my actions following my heart by my matching those actions. Something I am working on daily.”  ~DM

WHAT does “living out loud” mean to you?  How would YOU answer this question?

Sitting on my porch, listening to the middle school and high school kids laugh, scream, giggle. Soon, the elementary children will be home, and the neighborhood will be buzzing with activity.

Hoses and squirt guns out of storage. Swimsuit or not, here I come!

Pink shoulders from not remembering to put on sunscreen soon enough. Oh well.

Pulling out my children’s’ clothes which have been outgrown, or those which have seen better days. Thinking about tackling my closet, but will save that for another time.

Cleaning out the garage of unused toys, trikes, and other ‘stuff’ which has been sitting around taking up space.

Smelling fresh cut grass, lilacs and bon fires.

Planting vegetables we had started from seed. Saying a prayer that some of them will survive my unskilled hand at gardening.

Taking a walk through the neighborhood trails, appreciating nature and all its beauty.

The extended sunlight making the  days feel longer, brighter.

Enjoying watching my son play baseball on a gorgeous spring evening.

Skinned knees and elbows from riding, scootering, running too fast.

I love the newness of spring. The energy. The smell. The warm sun on my face. Maybe it is because we made it through the long, cold winter of Minnesota. Regardless, I love spring.

Appreciating the simple things.