A Whole Month of Thank You

 For those who live in the United States, we celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the year this month -- a feast (based on a series of feasts in early American history) to celebrate friendship with the native people who fed locals and KEPT THEM FROM DYING when they first settled in the land and DIDN'T know how to survive.

It is now celebrated with too much food and expressions of gratitude.

Which, really, can you get more epic than that?

I live off gratitude these days. It keeps me sane. It's a power that brings positivity, LITERAL changes to the body's chemistry, and a kindlier response from the world around us. 

My BIG 5 for today:

1. Getting to share MUSIC VIDEOS. (And so, SO much more.)

Check it out!

I've been living with these songs in my head for ages. Glad to finally be sharing.

2. Laughter.

Part of our recent online campaign has been about sharing the funny moments, because life gets WAY too serious and heavy without them.

3. Memories.

Some days I live on the moments when life was awesome and things just felt good. They're enough to make it through the tough days.

4. People.

Friends who support us, the kindness of a stranger, likes, comments, pick-me-ups from other humans. They keep me going.

5. Writing.

Writing keeps me sane--mine or other people's. Grateful for good stories (the ones I get to pen, included) that give my brain a place to go when life gets heavy.

I'm participating in a month-long gratitude challenge on social media. Join in, eh?

How about you? Can you list 5 things you're grateful for today?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

The question for this month:

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

... Was there ever a time I wasn't writing?

Um, no.

I started telling stories with pictures when I was old enough to hold a pencil (in pictures) and that eventually evolved to cartoon strips, then just words. It wasn't a question of what I imagined my life of writing to be like (because it had ALWAYS been) -- more of, how do I share the stories that ARE my life? I dreamed of publishing my first novel at age 16 and although I'd written my first two novellas by age 13, I took a break in my teenage years to focus on living, picking up the pen again when I was married with a baby. It was always just a question of WHEN and I didn't care about money or noteriety or any of that. How naive I was!

The industry is not all about writing. Mostly, it's about marketing--since publishing houses DON'T do that for authors anymore (unless you've magically found your audience already). If you aren't a marketing genius (or willing to grow into one), writing probably isn't the right field for you. That's been the biggest lesson this journey taught me. Every industry boils down to the almighty dollar, and this one is no exception.

I LOVE writing. I LOVE tellings stories.

I do not LOVE all that goes with publishing.

How about you? What 5 things are you grateful for? What was your writing vision? Will you join me in the gratitude challenge?

How to Find Happiness A-Z: O

Are you the creative type who places your shoes where your hat should go, and your car keys where your cup usually sits?

I've always had a special way of arranging things. When I was a teen Mom used to come into my room, see my papers piled all over the floor, and start throwing things away. Eek! Those were my precious stories, notes, and idea prompt images! For years, I couldn't understand WHY she would do that. Didn't she get she was destroying my sense of order?

Now, many years later and as a mom, I get it.

Organization.

Picture courtesy of Carnivore Locavore

We can function with chaos in our home (empty milk jugs piled to go out for recycling, markers and pens scattered across the school table, scraps of paper from recent project littered across the floor, laundry piled in baskets in the corner), but I find my sense of cool goes "poof". I snap at the kids more. I freak out about the little things. I feel like a failure and start panicking about how behind I am.

Conversely, when my house is spotless, I'm an angel, the kids love each other, and we all breathe easy.

Have you had similar experiences? How do you establish order in your house?  

How to Find Happiness A-Z: N

What do you do for fun?

While home schooling 3 kids, I live a very confined existence. We get out, but not as much as I'd like, so I look to another medium to "get out":

Novels.

Picture courtesy of rocksee

Who else loves sinking into an imaginary world and disappearing from reality? *waving hand in the air* Nothing better. When I was a kid, I was a total book worm and the library was my dojo. In anticipation of summer, I'd buy a stack of books at least 8 to 12 deep, and as soon as I'd consumed the stack, we'd start hitting the library. The NYC library system was a dream come true, and Florida almost killed me until we moved into Orange County with access to the Orlando Library.

My point is, we have to occasionally unplug and regenerate if we want to be successful, balanced, and happy. This great article in the New York Times talks about how taking regular breaks actually improves productivity, creativity, and relieves stress.

I don't know about you, but the times I'm the least happy are when I'm so bogged down by task after task, I don't feel like I can take a spare breath. So then, to find true happiness, we need to establish "novel" time, or hobby/relaxation time. We can't demand too much of ourselves ALL THE TIME.

What is it you do to escape? To get away? To relax? Are you a book worm, and if so what genre takes you far, far away? 

How to Find Happiness A-Z: F

Mom stopped her 2 year old daughter at the door, the girl's fingers on the knob. "Crystal, where are you going?"

The little girl turned around. "Mom!" She threw both hands down, exhasperated. "I have to play with my friends!" 

FRIENDS!!!!

Can we talk too much about the importance of good friends? The best ones inspire us to do better, to be better, to reach for our greatest potential. The bad ones drag us into a pit of failure.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

I have been blessed with an overabundance of amazing friends. Many of you are on the blog-o-sphere with me. Some of you aren't. I can't say too much good about the awe-inspiring people who've stood by my side through difficulty and joy: my incredible husband, my children, my parents, brothers and sisters, inlaws, my Holy Cheesers, Melanie, Valerie, Jen-Jen, Eliza, Amy, Krista... The list might never end. I count each and every one of them as a special godsend.

The more people I come to love, the more my heart expands. In their successes, I find happiness. In their sorrows, I find a place of deep and abiding compassion. Mom thought me a little over-dramatic at two years old, but I think as a child, I understood something quite paramount: happiness comes from being invested in other's lives. Joy comes from the relationships we develop.

Are you that friend--the one who lifts others up and helps them to see the good they're accomplishing? What fabulous friends have you found through the years, and have you told them how much you appreciate them lately? 

How to Find Happiness A-Z: E

When in your life were you happiest?

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

I have a tenancy to push myself, often too hard. A couple years ago I went back to school online. While home schooling 3 kids. And working to get a musical produced. And serving as the president of a children's organization. Was I suicidal? Probably. But it was invigorating, and I felt more alive than I had in a long time. Why?

Education.

I was growing--pushing myself to expand mentally in ways I hadn't in a long time. My reading speed quadrupled. My test-taking confidence sky-rocketed. My confidence in being ready to teach my oldest kid high school subjects intensified.

I remember countless hours spent in public school, doodling on my notebook or staring off into oblivion. I despised the assignments I was given, questioning why it was necessary to know this specific information.

Being forced to endure hours of school is not an education. An education is merely intelligence, knowledge, or confidence in our own abilities that we obtain through our experiences. Just because someone has completed "school" doesn't mean they have an education. Education comes from every human interaction. It's ongoing and continuous. I submit, happiness comes from continued growth and learning. It's when we stagnate, like a pond with no inlet or outlet, that we feel a blandness settle in.

Happiness comes from growth. Growth is a result of our education. Do you feel yourself stagnating? What are you doing to further your education?

April A-Z Theme Reveal

Yes, I'm always ranting about cheese. Laugh if you will, call me crazy, scratch your head and shrug, but ah, did you know there's a psychology behind the cheese?

*gasp*

See, cheese is a symbol. What's the last thing that photographer says before snapping a shot? *cupping ear* That's right. "Cheese." So what is he asking you to do? 

Now, to deepen the meaning. Cheese was my special needs brother's favorite food in the world, and you'd never have met a happier person. You get it now? If I'm offering you cheese, I'm offering you a ray of sunshine and a wish for your happiness. (Plus one of the best darn foods on the planet!) 

So, to introduce my A-Z Blogging Challenge theme....

*drum roll*

How to Find Happiness: from A-Z

Yup. It's all about the cheese.

Awesome, right? I hope you'll join me throughout April and add your amazing insights about the power of happiness and how to find it. 

Where do you find happiness?