Music and dancing makes me happy. My kids will tell you (and they have video of this) that I can go a little crazy with this dancing-thing. Dancing in the house, in the car, at the end of a movie (when the credits are showing, of course) and in stores (where they now seem to be jamming with music). Embarrassing to the kids, of course, but I love it!
This is the time of year where we are in the gift-giving, purchasing, decorating and cooking mode to make people happy. This is also a time when we get a bit edgy. We are so focused on others, we are eating more sweets, working out less, traveling and attending parties. In short, we’re exhausted and not always in happy-mode!
This is the time of year when I remind my kids that happiness is a choice. It occurs no matter what gifts you get or give … you can be happy just because you want to be. I believe that happiness is contagious.
In my hospice volunteer work, I found that it often wasn’t until the end of life where people realized that happiness is a choice. Let’s face it, most of us stay stuck in our old patterns and habits. We don’t allow ourselves the silliness of life. We don’t allow ourselves to find happiness in the face of difficulty. But as we get older (ahh yes, the older card!), we realize that we have the choice to focus on the things that really matter. We realize that pretending is unnecessary. We realize that there is no point to being anything but happy and thankful for our life experience – whether long or short.
With that in mind, I’m going to focus this holiday season on one ambition; to get through each day with grace, peace of mind and giving happiness my focused attention.
As we kick off the season, let’s decide to enjoy every single minute with our friends and loved ones. We really never know what the next year will hold. And, when you have that moment where you just want to run away (to Hawaii … and you’ll have lots of them!), refocus yourself. Go to the gym. Take a walk. Call a friend. Do something for you! And, remind yourself that happiness is a choice — when you are happy, it really will make those around you happy as well!
Here’s to having a very happy holiday season!
theyearof50 