I had about three hours' sleep last night. I know that even if I can go home later for a nap, my bedroom will be flooded with sunlight that, without a blind on the floor-to-ceiling sliders, will have turned that room into a terrarium. Even without the blind that tumbled down last night and the stuff stacked up for the Last Word Yard Sale coming up on Saturday, my house could pass for a pig-stye--only not as comfortable. This would be in some measure due to the fact that money woes forced us to let go our housekeeper a few months, okay, maybe a year, ago.
I finally paid someone to pull out the weeds in the front lawn because one of the neighbors said something snarky about the proliferation of dandelions in her lawn--that would be due to money woes that forced us to let go the gardeners more than a year ago--and I'm meeting a landscaper (a stranger? yay! another expense? yippee!) in the morning to talk about what we can do out there that will not cause some sort of reality show to break out on my parkway ("Lawn Wars," anyone?).
While I consider all this, I am sitting snoddy-dosed and head-stuffed in an office at a desk at a temp job I didn't want. Even though I knew it was temporary, filling in for a guy on medical leave, I was shocked to learn that tomorrow is my last day. I was even more shocked to find that it makes me sorta sad.
And that's in spite of the fact that I really need to not work here anymore for two big reasons: First, because not only am I behind in my freelance work--having missed my deadline on not one but two client novels that should have been edited and returned by the end of April, which, a quick glance at the corner of your screen will reveal, this is not. And, second, because the job is really getting in the way of my daily walking and making it harder to eat healthy.
And that's why I'm happy.
Which brings me to Week 3 of the four-week class I am taking called, endearingly, "One Week to a Happier Life."
Week 3 is about giving and gratitude, two of the biggest warm-fuzzy ways to mainline joy. Being appreciative of what--and who--you have makes you happier. (It makes the appreciated feel pretty good too.)
Throw in the benefits of altruism--it's better to give than to receive--and you've got yourself a recipe for creating deeper meaning in your life, which is closely linked with happiness. Even if you already think you're a pretty good person or think you have so many needs that there is nothing you can offer another, you can in fact develop greater altruism and cultivate more gratitude in your life.
You don't have to be an Oprahciple to appreciate the value of a gratitude journals. (Yes, as a matter of fact, my go-to tool always is the pen.) If you simply write down every day what you are grateful for, you will be putting the concept of gratitude into greater practice, and your little heart will swell, a sort-of metaphoric shift in ballast that will also shift your perspective.
How do you know if you have the attitude of gratitude? Ask yourself this: Do you have what you want? Do you want what you have? Research shows that wanting what you have brings at least as much happiness as does having what you want -- good news for those who are working on their appreciation of things.
What are you grateful for? What in your life do you value most? What little things bring you the most joy? What makes you happy? What would you miss if it disappeared?
If you want to share your answers on LK, give them a #grateful hashtag; you'll not only be sharing a bit about yourself but also potentially reminding someone else to be grateful for something in their own lives that they might otherwise take for granted.
As for random acts of kindness, in general I don't see the need or point in telling others what good deeds you have done, because they shouldn't be done for praise or self-glorification. But for this week, I'd like to know some big and small acts of kindness you've done lately as well as what acts of kindness have been done to you? Use the #giving hashtag if you want to share and maybe give someone a great idea.
So, back to me, despite how crummy things feel in the Land That Ate My Mom's Mother's Day Present, and despite the fact that I cannot hide under the comforter that needs to have cat vomit dry-cleaned off of it, I am grateful for the nascent desire to try a little harder to be a little healthier. Crazy but true. And the discovery of that thought is simply happy little accident and something else about which I can feel grateful.
This has been another edition of the Cyrano Series (Archive 1 & Archive 2), where intrepid and mysterious LK member Cyrano de Bergerac shares her unique perspective on life and LifeKraze. Be sure to visit her profile to say thanks!
