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Happiness Challenge Completed

Day 1 Thur March 20
Blog with a photo of what is making you happy now. Tell about why it makes you happy.

 

[THE SMELL OF SPRING]

Today is officially the first day of Spring.  The kids are outside playing and enjoying the weather. We had an abnormally bitter cold winter.   I am looking forward to this season to start working in my garden, going hiking, grilling, camping and just being outdoors!  There is snow on the ground right now but I am happy that it is Spring!

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Day 2 Fri March 21
Pamper yourself, taking care of yourself need not be an overly difficult task, and it’s not just important thing to do for your physical health, it’s also vitally important for your psychological health.

 

[JUICING FOR GOOD HEALTH]

juicerUsing my Jack Lalanne Power Juicer I made this healthy cocktail:

Serves 1
2 red beets with leaves
1 celery stick with leaves, trimmed
1 cucumber
1 handful Spinach
2 pieces of ginger root
2 carrots
Juice all the ingredients.
Enjoy!

 

 

Day 3 Sat March 22
Tell about three things that you are grateful for.

 

[FRIENDS, ABILITY, ANIMALS]

  1. For those I consider my true friends, my family and those who make life a lot easier to go through by supporting me more than I ever feel that I deserve.
    Heart
  2. For a body that allows me to function and is able to do so much and a brain that allows me to think about the world and its people, in all the ways that I possibly can.
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  3. For my pets and all other animals I encounter that give free and unconditional love.
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Day 4 Sun March 23
Journal a positive experience of your day. This will help you find meaning in the activities of the day.

 

[WAKING UP EARLY]

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. ~ Benjamin Franklin

There are so many distractions in my daily life-  phone calls, emails, media jargon, kids fighting, simple daily chaos and sometimes even petty drama.  No wonder sometimes I prefer to just stay in my warm bed all morning! Today, I woke up before everyone in my home and I took time to breathe, to become aware, to experience flow- the disruptions in my life didn’t feel so overwhelming this bright and early. I appreciated the fact that the house was quiet this morning while I got ready to for work.  7:00 AM I was at work, it was slow to start, I allowed myself to be in the moment and enjoyed familiar sounds with moments of silence, the sights of spring out the window, the smell of fresh coffee, breakfast and dish soap.  There was a period of time in which I experienced an uncomfortable sense of energy in the afternoon, it wasn’t a very positive part of my day, I am choosing not to dwell on it and carry onward with a good attitude.  As creatures of habit, we all tend to move through the day on automatic, sticking to a schedule and a plan, for me Sundays are a change in my routine that I can learn to appreciate if I just take the time to be in the moment.  Today I was able to laugh until I cried, learned an inside joke that will always make me chuckle and with that I feel happiness even though the day wasn’t the happiest ever, I am being positive.

Day 5 Mon March 24
Exercise and Meditation. Take 20 minutes to simply breathe and focus on your breath going in and out. Doing so will train your mind to focus, reduce stress, and help you be more present in this moment.  Try to get in 30 minute of exercise.

 

[OUTDOOR HIKE AND WII FIT]

Had the opportunity to go for a nice walk today, it was a muddy walk, hopefully it dries up a bit. I also took the Wii Fit out. I unlocked this meditation part of the game after eventually racking up 3 hours in the ‘fit bank’.  I really enjoy the yoga and balance games on Wii Fit so adding hours to the fit bank happens quite easily.  The meditation game works by using the Wii balance board the game can tell if I am sitting properly, and if my breathing or movement has changed. The screen shows a flickering candle, I watched the candle while sitting with crossed legs on the balance board. The goal is to breath at an even pace and stay balanced so that the candle does not blow out. This may sound easy, but the game tries to throw you off balance and break concentration. It does this by having flies buzz around, and sometimes having someone suddenly scream. At first it is difficult to keep the candle burning longer than a few seconds, but as time goes by it becomes easier and very enjoyable.  I had the added challenge of distractions beyond the game that made it harder to do, I prefer to do it when I have a quieter surrounding, I still did pretty well.

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Day 6 Tue March 25
Random Acts of Kindness: This can be something simple, not only does it benefit the recipient, but it also increases your feeling of social support.

 

[MAILED A LOST WALLET AND DONATED USED CLOTHES]

A customer lost their wallet in the parking lot at my work over a week ago now and hasn’t come in for it.  His ID is in it so I am going to mail him his wallet. I tried finding him in the phone book but had no luck.  I hope mailing it to him will save him some grief. 

I did some spring cleaning today, filled some boxes with used toys, clothes, and books to bring to a local donation box.

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DAY 7 Wed March 26
Make a blog with a photo of something nostalgic that made you happy as a child.

 

[BROWN-ABOUT AND ANIMALS]

Brown-about is a brown gingham blanket with a teddy bear on it that I got as a child, I was very attached to it. Even as a grown adult, it still gives me comfort when I sleep and I see nothing wrong with keeping it forever!

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Being around animals has always been calming for me. All my life, people have noticed my connection with all kinds of creatures. I have a passion for all life and do what I can to prevent cruelty by not contributing to the profits of factory farms and by informing others about my lifestyle. I don’t try to push it on others, I think it is important for people to be knowledgeable about the unnecessary treatment that many animals endure to be our food. I have been a strict vegetarian and on-again, off-again vegan since I was 16 years old, I plan to remain meat-free until the day that I die. That’s a choice I made for myself based on what I know, for a lot of people, even knowing how animals are treated they still desire to eat meat. I challenge these people to do a little research as to where they can buy local, farm raised meat products that won’t be contributing to the factory farmers and their methods of brutality. We can change the industry by voicing our opinions and demand change by how we use our dollars.

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