done and done

So, how did all that happy go? Really, really well. :)

I took my time to meditate. It's been forever and five days since I've made time for that. Truly. So, I grabbed the nearest candle, locked the bathroom door, sat on the floor, lit the candle, and turned off the lights. Pure silence and peace for 15 minutes. I had so many thoughts flow in and out of my head... all of which were good. It was heaven. So help me, I need to find a way to do this every single day, without fail. Why, oh WHY didn't I start this all back up sooner?!

So, my second focus on happiness had to do with food: cinnamon bun caramel corn from a recipe I found over at Our Best Bites. First of all, I got to break in a brand new popcorn popper that a dear friend sent my way over the Christmas holiday (Thank you, Andria! *smooch*) I absolutely love this popper. It was easy to use, fun to watch, and popped almost every single kernel of popcorn. I've never seen anything like it. HUGE homerun, there! And then you add caramel, cinnamon, pecans, and a drizzle of white chocolate? Happy really isn't an accurate term for it. Blissful is probably a lot closer. It was popcorn Nirvana. Seriously. If you ever have some time and the needed ingredients, which are pretty run-of-the-mill, I highly recommend giving it a shot. My kids actually asked if I could forgo sending cupcakes to school for their birthday, and just send this caramel corn to school instead. Crazy I tell you!

I did notice something different about today. It was challenging in almost every way. We had a snow day, so everyone (including laid-off-looking-for-employment hubby) was home. All four kids plus hubby. All day long. You do the math. It was stressful. I felt like I did nothing but feed everyone. And I had my own work to do, plus all the usual cleaning and laundry and such. I was crabby. But, in the late afternoon, I took time for the happy. It really seemed to make a difference, which surprised the heck out of me. I didn't expect to have my mood turn on a dime like that... especially for the better.

It makes me want to continue all this, but maybe on a grander scale. What if I started my day with happy instead of waiting until the afternoon? What if I got up just 15 minutes early and meditated? Is that even possible? Can I realistically expect myself to get up earlier than the butt crack of dawn to light a candle in the dark and think? I'm not sure. Maybe I should try.