HAPPINESS

Happiness. It's one of those things you take for granted until it's not there anymore. You know when you're sick and you can't, for the life of you, remember what it feels like to be healthy? But you would do anything to feel better again? I feel like that's kind of how happiness works. You don't give it a second thought about it when it's there, but when it's gone you don't quite know what to do.

This happiness spiel probably seems like it's coming out of no where. But on my way to the pool the other day, I stopped at Target to grab a book (because I feel like laying out without reading a book is just a sin). The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin looked like an easy enough read, so I nabbed it. Good thing, because I absolutely loved it. Rubin basically dedicates a year to trying to become happier. Each month, she focuses on a different aspect of her life, from organizational skills to her marriage. I've been thinking about this book ever since I finished it. Obviously, focusing as intently on her happiness as Gretchen did isn't realistic for everyone; this was a project she took on for the sake of writing a book. But it was food for thought. Gretchen starts out the book by saying that she wasn't unhappy before she started the project; she just wasn't as happy as she knew she should be.

It got me thinking. Am I as happy as I should be? Are there things in my life I take for granted? 100%. Absolutely. Everyone does. Most of the things we do in our day, sometimes even the things we dread, are things someone somewhere would kill to be able to do. Going to the grocery store is such a hassle, especially since I don't have a car in the city. But I have money on my debit card that allows me to buy the food that I need. Going to the gym is usually the last thing I want to do. Who am I kidding, it's always the last thing I want to do. But I have the ability to go; my legs work, my arms work, I can move my body. I always dread writing a paper or studying for a test, but I'm getting an education. An education that a lot of people in this country don't have the privilege of receiving.

Instead of hating myself for not appreciating the things I have, I decided to think about the things that really do make me happy. I've never stopped and taken the time to think about what really makes me happy. So I set out to make a list of 20 things that make me truly, truly happy. No matter how stupid or insignificant they are. So without further ado, and in no particular order...

LIZ'S HAPPINESS LIST

1. Waking up to a thunderstorm, knowing you have no where to go.
2. Music. Anything, any kind, as long as there's no screaming involved.
3. Walking into a Starbucks. Or anywhere I can smell coffee. It's just an instant high.
4. Conversations with my family. And cuddling with my pooch. 
5. Being in the middle of a really great TV series on Netflix.
6. Driving in the car with my best friend Rose. Even if we're just driving for the hell of it.
7. Coffee in the mornings on the pier at my cabin.
8. When my boyfriend David does nice things for me just because he wants to (like putting in my AC units like he did last night. Cue the candid pic).
   
9. Eucalyptus mint candles from Bath and Body Works. 
10. Sitting outside with my dad while he grills.
11. My jobs as a campus tour guide and as a student assistant in the office of admissions.
12. My family's Christmas traditions
13. Birthday wishes. Actually, just birthdays in general. It's a weird thing I have.
14. A really, really good cheeseburger. And beer. 
15. Baths. Hot, long, smell good baths.
16. Watching football. Especially the Packers. Go pack go, baby. 
17. Going out to breakfast. Favorite meal, by far. Probably because it involves coffee.
18. Having a book you can't wait to get back to reading.
19. Being outside right before the sun goes down.
20. Writing. And this one sort of surprises me, because I didn't realize how much I loved writing until I started this blog. It really, truly makes me happy. Who would have thought?

I thought making that list was going to be a lot harder than it actually was. While starting my own "Happiness Project" is a little bit out there, reading this book made me realize that in order to be happier, I need to focus on the things that make me happy. It seems like an oversimplified route and it's probably going to be a lot easier said than done. But we're gonna give it a go. 

SWEET, SWEET SUMMER

School is out. I repeat: School. Is. Out. Thank you LAWD. My school is on the quarter system, so we go a lot later than most other colleges. Like, a month later. Boo to that. So the break from anything academic is welcomed with open arms. Kicked off the summer with some time out of the city, heading back home to my hometown for a few days. From there, I spent the past weekend at one of my favorite places on Earth: our family cabin in Northern Wisconsin. It's a five and a half hour journey through lots and lots of flat land, but for some reason I love the drive. It just makes me happy. There is something so comforting about being locked in a car with my whole family, puppy included, for a few hours. The end destination makes it worth the while. Plus, my iPhone loaded with a playlist from my boyfriend didn't hurt either. Got back to my apartment last night, and I am SO excited for a summer in the city. I can go in a coffee shop...and not study. What a crazy idea. Now that school is over, expect more frequent posts. Until then, I'll throw some pictures from this weekend your way!

Best way to celebrate finals being over

View from home is a little bit different than the city...

Cousin lovin 

CHANGE.

It always amazes me how much can change in such a short amount of time. Day by day goes by and things just sort of gradually move along, but all of a sudden you look back and realize everything is different. It sort of freaks me out. It can be a bad thing, but it can also be a great thing. I think that's what makes life so crazy cool. There is always the potential for change. I look back at my life just a month ago, a mere 30 days, and realize that it is not what I had planned on. Some of it is sad, and some of it is so wonderful I can't put it into words. I'm not really sure what this post is supposed to say to you. I guess what I've been learning is not to settle. So often, I feel like we settle for bad relationships, toxic friendships, stupid drama, and unfulfilling things. What in the hell is the point of all of that? I think the older I get, the more important it is to me that I surround myself with positive people and things. There's no room or time for people that bring you down or make you feel bad. In the past 30 days I have lost a friend, but I have also reconnected with an old one. In the past 30 days, I have met someone. I have met someone who has started to heal me. He makes everything else seem irrelevant. In the past 30 days, I have made huge decisions about what is important to me, who I let in, and who I want to be. All it took was 30 days.

Change. It's something that scares us all to death, if we're really honest with ourselves. Even if we aren't in love with how things are right now, the idea of things changing is terrifying. Maybe because we think things might get worse, maybe because we think we might lose something, maybe because we think we won't ever get things back to the way they are. But what if things get better? What if we realize that losing that thing you were so afraid to lose is probably the best thing to ever happen? What if, just what if, things change in such a way that we don't want them to go back to how they used to be? What if things change into exactly what you need them to be?

Things can change in the blink of an eye. One decision, one moment, and everything changed. Things I thought I could plan on are different. Someone I thought I could count on failed to live up to my expectations. But most of the important things in my life are still the same. I have my family, I have my best friend Rose, I have my health, I have school, I have my thoughts and dreams and beliefs. And now, I have something else that I wasn't planning on or looking for. Funny how that happens, you meet someone and you expect nothing of it. And then all of a sudden, they change things for you. And in a single night, with a simple walk home, everything changed. In the best way I could have imagined.