Happiness Awaits

Helping Out Someone in Need

: Image by CodyR via Flickr

Yesterday, I took my 91 and 1/2 year old friend to physical therapy. Sounds great, right?

In the morning, I was dreading it.

Driving over to her house, I was damning myself a bit for agreeing to take her.

Immediately after walking into her house, I was so content and happy with my decision. Just hearing her voice and how she was so happy when she heard “Fitz” was coming to get her, maybe me light up inside.

I genuinely adore my conversations with this woman. She told me she owned her first car in 1952, after the war and after her husband finished law school. She said it was a gorgeous Florida ocean blue and that it was an incredible car. I felt like I was driving Ms. Daisy.

She also told me a story about how a neighbor had built a naughty snowman during the blizzard and she thought it was humorous and couldn’t understand why people made him take it down.

I can say with absolute certainty that there was nothing else in my day that would have been better than the two hours I spent with her. Sure, I dreaded it. I definitely didn’t want to go volunteer, despite knowing how much I was helping someone else. I felt I didn’t have the time in my schedule today to squeeze something like this out and I was worried that I would be absolutely exhausted with tutoring until 9PM.

I guess helping out others is a lot like going to the gym when you don’t want to. You often dread it and try to talk yourself out of it, but once you are there and in the action, you are very pleased with your decision.

So yesterday’s daily task towards happiness: Helping out someone in need. Success: Definitely!

To Smile.

Daily Activity Towards Happiness

I’ve been thinking my blog needs a bit more focus. Sure, I talk about my day and how happy my life is for me right now, but that seems pretty boring. This blog is about happiness and the on-going search for it. While tutoring and writing bring me happiness, I believe that to obtain and maintain any sort of happiness that you need to keep yourself challenged. Trying new things, stepping out of the box, whatever. I think that happiness is an continuous journey that one cannot get lazy in–much like marriage or any other relationship.

At first I thought that I would come up with a 365 day list. It would be something to do every single day that may help benefit or motivate this journey. Then I realized that a 365 day list is a bit too daunting, so why not start with a list of 50 daily things that help achieve happiness.

So below is a list of ~20 different task. Some are silly, some are focused on helping others, some take 5 minutes, some take longer. But here is where I need your help. Email me (or post a comment below) with 2 suggestions you have about daily task that have to do with happiness. It can be anything!

1. Color a picture

2. Dance around like a child

3. Bake cookies for a friend

4. Pay for someone’s check

5. Read a child a book

6. Go for a walk with a camera

7. Visit a museum

8. Take a bubble bath with only candles and music

9. Be nice to someone who is short or rude to you

10. Write a piece of poetry

11. Do a small craft project

12. Leave a bigger tip than normal

13. Work outside

14. Watch a classic black and white movie

15. Read the bible every day for a week

16. Avoid texting, facebook or twitter for a day.

17. Write someone a note or letter

18. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers

19. Learn to rock climb

20. Have an at-home spa pampering session

21. Do my husband chores for him

There you have it! Once again–email me (fitzalan80 at gmail.com) or comment below with your ideas about something different to do everyday that brings you happiness. Remember, I’m trying to get his list to 50 and I need your help!

To Smile.

Optimism

: Image by framboise via Flickr

I never quite know how my life, my writing and my feelings come across on here. I know tons of family and friends read my blog and I have a few people that I do not know in real life reading this thing. It can be a bit intimidating knowing that all these people know my thoughts and feelings on such a personal level. But I guess the fact that I write it and put it out there is a bit like an exhibitionist in a way.

Anyway, I wish that I could see my life and this journey that I am on through someone else’s eyes. Does it appear simple, easy, challenging, unbelievably absurd and stupid? I have no idea.

What I do know is that I continue to have this overwhelming feeling of comfort and ease from what I am doing. No, by ease, I do not mean laziness. I mean a sense of calmness in my heart and soul. As in, I have a sense that I am at ease in the decisions that I continue to make. In my heart, I know they are the right one’s for me, at least for right now, and that is so reassuring.

When I look at my schedule and my life, it completely is upside-down and so different from what it was just three months ago. I probably would have scoffed at the idea of working until 9PM or some days working on Sunday’s. But somehow, none of these things feel like work or like a chore. I am enjoying tutoring so much, especially my math students and my SAT prep kids, that I get almost excited for each session. You know you enjoy what you are doing when an hour seems to go by in a blink of an eye.

But none of this has been easy. I have to stay on top of myself and stay motivated. I have to realize that the tutoring sessions will die off some during the summer and I may need to figure some other source of income during that time. More writing would be ideal. There are days where I do not feel motivated and do not want to write, but unfortunately, I have to force myself to produce something of a respectable caliber.

I think more than anything, what I want to come across on my blog is that I am thriving. That this journey is so much fun and I continue to amaze myself. I am so proud of where I gotten to, but I am not settling at this. I am interested, excited and a bit anxious about where I will continue to go. The beginning was quitting the job, not the end. I just assume that having a drive that is centered in my heart and having the support of my family and friends (in particular Justin) that nearly anything is possible.

To Smile.

Happiness Awaits

About Me

Twitter: fitzalangorman

Helping Out Someone in Need

Daily Activity Towards Happiness

Optimism

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