Day 9 Question 9:

What do you love/what makes you genuinely happy?

There are so many things that I love. I love that feeling you get when something in your life whether is be a person, place or thing makes you feel so overwhelmed with happiness, something that makes you smile nonstop because you know it makes you part of who you are.  I guess I will format this question differently and give you a list of the things that bring absolute happiness to my life (in no specific order).

1)      Hearing a song and swearing that someone was singing about your life

2)      Amazing conversations with my mom-we may not always get along but she is the one person in the world that I believe truly sees me for who I am

3)      Red velvet cake

4)      Phone conversations with my older sister-you cannot imagine how much we laugh

5)      Watching babies grow-seeing them go from barely sitting up to walking in a matter of no time

6)      Little Baby Butts-I mean come on now-what is cuter than that???

7)      Watching a movie that impacts me in a pretty major way

8)      Curling up in the recliner in my room tucked under a blanket, candles lit, with a book in hand/or working on something creative

9)      Summer days spent at the beach

10)  Learning from people so completely different from yourself

11)  Looking at old pictures and re-living the past-it may not have always been great but as Adele says, “Regrets and mistakes, they are memories made”

12)  Laughing until everything hurts

13)  People watching-I can do this anywhere and absolutely love it.  I totally make up life stories about the people I watch

14)  Cool old people-Where I live is made up primarily of crotchey old people.  Over the summer I encountered a couple at the pool (72 and 73).  They shared stories with me and cracked jokes.  It was so awesome.  :0)

15)  Feeling random, unexpected moments of inspiration

This entry has been different from what I usually write.  I was unsure of a question to answer today.  I believe creativity shouldn’t be forced.  It is something that should be completely natural if it is going to be completely raw and real.  I do, however, know what makes me happy.  I spent a lot of time not being able to answer this question.  I changed my life around and it hit me like a brick.  I determine my own happiness.  Happiness comes from what I surround myself with.  I have moments when it feels like the world is caving in on me but I have grabbed onto this outlet.  And by this outlet I mean surrounding myself with positive energy in any way possible.  I take deep breaths in and out.  I read positive affirmations.  I remind myself that millions of people in the world have it way worse than I do.  These are the things I want to share with others.  There is always a way out of the darkness.  It may not always be an easy path or a quick fix but nothing good in life should come easy.  Let me pose this question, when you have worked extremely hard (to the point when you thought there was no way you could accomplish something) and you met your goal how good does that feel?  It may sound strange, but I would advise people to step outside of themselves and take a look at who they really are.  Figure out what you really love about yourself and focus on those things.  And in the same, determine what you don’t like about yourself and make the changes you feel and know are necessary.  I pose another question, what better feeling could you have than the one when you do something that everyone told you that you could not?  Sometimes my own drive towards positivity and splashing it all over makes me feel like I am one big sap but I would much rather be this way than any negative way.  I don’t want life to pass me by anymore.  I may not always be out doing something or climbing mountains or traveling overseas but I am certainly seeing the beauty in the world and learning every step of the way.  That is what truly makes me happy.  I do not wish everyone was like me because that would make for one big, monotonous, boring world.  But I do wish more people would embrace their own spirit and the beauty/magic that surrounds them everyday.  I wish more people would realize that material possessions will never make them happy.  I wish people would dig within themselves and find out who they really are and love this person as hard as possible.  I say all of this because for so long I lived in a box (obviously not literally).  I was living as a person I thought other people wanted me to be and I was not opening my mind to all of the wonders and the opportunities that surrounded me day in and day out.  These opportunities could be as small as helping an old lady unload her groceries at the store or listening to someone without saying a word because you know they just need to vent.  We all know what we need as people.  We just tend to forget and get caught up with our schedules and societal molds, which happens-that is life.

Do you ever encounter people in your life that it seems that everything just comes easy to them.  They seem so carefree and worry-free?  What I have realized (some may be putting on a front-I am just speaking generally) is that these people are truly living.  They do not allow other people’s opinions and thoughts control who they are as people.  They have a grip on themselves and love who they are because they realize this is the person they are supposed to be.  They are focused on the NOW and not letting their past mistakes control them or what may occur in the future worry them.  These are the people that see the true beauty in the world and have a sense of calm and inner-peace.  Maybe I sound like one of those (what people would call) crazy, tree-hugging hippies but when you think about it, am I really wrong?  When you experience unhappiness, what is the true source.  You may blame it on someone else but in truth it is not than that is making YOU unhappy because you have complete control of your feelings.  You choose to be unhappy or angry or depressed.  If you are reading this, I ask you to start now (if you haven’t already) and look at your life.  See how amazing you are and hold onto that.  Remind yourself of everything you love about yourself every single day.  No one else (not your parents, your husband, or your friends) is going to convince you of this.  The only person that can do this is YOU!

If you are reading this, I may know you or I may not, either way, I think you are AMAZING!!!