10 Things That Make Me Happy

Irene Seah from "Light Beckons" tagged me for this meme. You will find Irene's list of "10 Things . . ." at http://lightbeckons.com/2008/07/20/10-things-that-make-me-happy/ . Anyone that wants to participate by making and posting your own list, feel free to.

Here is my list of "10 Things That Make Me Happy":

1. Spending time with my family. My sister has been visiting more often lately and I have been thoroughly enjoying our time together. We have become friends as well as sisters. My mother-in-law is coming to visit for my husband's birthday in two weeks. I am blessed with a mother-in-law with common interests and that I really like, as well as love, her. Family can be our greatest teachers in life.

2. Being around trees makes me happy. This was on Irene's list too. I just love trees, their greeness, their groundedness, the majesty of reaching up to the sky, their age. Just think of all of the history that trees see in their lifetimes. Trees offer us shelter from the rain and shade from the sun. They give us variety in what we see.

3. Again, like Irene, I love music. There are songs that make me soar and songs that make me sad. There are voices lifted in song that leave me awe struck with tears of joy in my eyes. I am one of those people that when I hear a song, I just have to sing along if I know the words or I will hum along if I don't know the words. Music moves me, literally. One of my first experiences in an Indian ashram was when I got poked from an Indian woman sitting behind me because I was swaying to the beat of the music. She wanted me to sit still. I would miss music more than anything else if I ever lost my hearing.

4. Friends bring me joy. Talking with them. Visiting with them. Just being with them. I am a "people" person.

5. Writing is important to me. It gives me the joy of expressing myself in written form where I can see my thoughts in writing as well as hear them in my head. I love the comments that people leave on my blog. I love the written form of emails and hand-written letters coming through regular mail. Being able to edit my thoughts on paper and watching the power of the statement change by deleting or adding one or more words is a wonderful experience to me. The written word can exert such power. Look at all of the books that we read. Some are several hundred years old or older and are still exerting power over our lives. Incredible!!!

6. The growth from my spiritual journey brings me joy. Looking back to where I come from and seeing the growth and maturity of where I am today is great. Knowing who I am today brings me joy.

7. Books make me happy. I am an avid reader. I usually have at least 2-4 books scattered around the house that I read and absorb a little at a time. I love knowledge. I love the wisdom that I get from books that share the experiences of other people. I love a good book of fiction that lets me escape from my own problems for short periods of time. I love non-fiction books which teach me something that I want to know. I love books that take me on journeys that I might not be able to go on without the pages of my books.

8. I love my church. I love the building and I love the people. It is a small church in the Bible Belt of the South. My church has a "bad" reputation with a lot of people in Hot Springs, Arkansas because we dare to be different. My church houses people who believe in Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Wicca, Edgar Cayse, a Course in Miracles, and God in all forms. We are surrounded by Baptist churches and Churches of Christ and Catholic churches to name a few. We choose to be different. I guess you could call us a church of rebels. My church makes me happy.

9. Babies in any form, human and animal, make me happy. The only time that I feel that my heart is totally open and loving is when I am around a baby. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be that open all the time.

10. Smiling makes me happy. How much do you smile? Smiling is the simplest thing that you can do that will shift your thoughts and feelings. Smile today at everyone that you meet. Start the day by smiling at yourself in the mirror as you brush your teeth or brush your hair.
Patricia