1.24.2011

the disarming nature of happiness

i love winter. i love cold, i love snow. i like winter clothes and hot drinks. pretty much everything about winter is awesome to me. this puts me at odds with many people that i know. people that loathe winter.

i recently sent an email to someone whom i know to hate winter. but i was excited. it had snowed and it was pretty so i was happy. i just wanted to share my excitement with someone else. now here is the interesting thing. she responded not in a complaining, cynical manner but in an exuberant manner about what she was excited about. although she could have read my email and complained about winter, she chose to celebrate in what she enjoyed.

i think this is a general truth about happiness. when someone is happy, it spreads. it makes us happy and looking for the bright light in our day. whether or not we agree with what that person is happy about, the emotion is infectious. so use your happyness to cheer up someone's day.

as aside, the opposite holds true. usually when one starts complaining, the others that he interacts with become negative. don't let yourself go down this road. i do far too often.

1.13.2011

the fresh fallen snow

i love snow. always have. it is cold, clean, brings quiet and awesome snowmen. it also brings a quiet peace. walk outside while it is snowing and what do you hear? nothing. the birds are in their nests, the animals have found shelter and are waiting for the snows end to come out. they know that it is time to rest.

what do we as americans like to do? go go go. and then we keep going. rarely do we stop, rarely to we rest and admire the beauty of the world around us. what does the snow make us do? it makes us stop. that is the other element to the quietness. the lack of traffic driving on our roads.

we close early and go home. yes there are some who have to keep working in the snow, but for most of us, it makes us stop. so we go home and watch it fall. hopefully spending time with our families and definitely getting the mental and physical rest that we need.

do you need these breaks? do you like these breaks or is it just another plan ruined?

1.01.2011

happy new year

may i learn from the hardships
may i rejoice in the blessings
may i hold tight to friendships
and let go of hatred

may i love a little more everyday
may i accept grace a bit more too
may draw closer to being like him
while fleeing the things that pull me down

and most of all..
may i have the faith to hope in love