One Hundred Days of Happiness

I want to be happy. That is the biggest desire in my life, to reach a place where in my existence where I can live In happiness. It feels like a hard goal to reach. So many things threaten to break my smile or darken my days. So many things leave me stressed and agitated and worried. At times it feels like I don't have the space in my world to be happy. Life takes over and the chaos can making living from day to day less about joy and more about survival. But even as I succumb to the routine of waking up, going to work and going to sleep, the thought of happiness still lingers in my mind. I subconsciously search for it, taking little moments of pleasure and trying to make it last for as long as it can. 

Recently, while searching the web I came across the hashtag #100happydays and I wanted to know the meaning behind it. I googled it and a website came up, 100happydays.com which explained that this was a personal challenge. This isn't a contest or some way to show off. It's you, showing gratitude for the things that bring you joy in your life and acknowledging that for 100 days. You do this by sharing a picture each day of something you are happy for. This challenge is supposed to help us find it easier to see the positives in our everyday stressful and chaotic lives. It's about making a conscious effort to find happiness and becoming aware of it. Even though I'm doing this on Instagram (search loloroxxx) I've decided to go into detail about my image choices on my blog and the reason it makes me happy. 

Day one: a note. 

First off I want to say that my older siblings have some amazing children. They are smart and sweet and beautiful and caring and I love them dearly. I don't see them nearly enough. This note was written when I went to visit my sister in Pennsylvania. My trips to PA are always a source of joy for me. I love seeing my nieces and nephew as they go through various stages in their lives, transforming from short, crawling cherubs that are quick to smile and hug me, to tall gorgeous individuals with interests and personalities unique to them. My sister's oldest child, a young girl who shares my love of books and writing wrote this for me because I wrote her an encouraging note. I wanted her to know that I believe in her and that I want her to never stop being herself. 

She handed the letter to me before I left and I hugged her and read it on the way back home and felt a warmth in my heart. Months passed by and I forgot about the note, replacing it instead with the thoughts of work. Then one day when cleaning out my bookcase I discovered in one of my favorite books (The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon) my niece's kind words. Her words were so simple. She had a great time with me and wanted me to come back soon. Already she missed me. That is the first thing I thought of today, when musing about what makes me happy. A thoughtful note from a loved one can shine some light on such a dreary day. It could make a bad day much better. It could remind us that we matter in the world and that our existence is not overlooked. This is exactly what my niece's note did for me. It reminded me that I am loved and thought of. That's definitely sometching to be happy about.