Dancing in the Rain

It's not about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

I really believe that happiness is a choice and we are each in charge of creating our own happiness. Most of the people I work with have so much stuff going on in life that all the stress, anxiety, and pain begins to take over. They get consumed by this and miss out on opportunities to take care of themselves, feel good about themselves, and celebrate their successes.

Rain happens, but it doesn't mean that we can just stay inside. That is why God invented umbrellas! Happiness does not come to us on its own, we must seek it out.

I have a plan to extend this a lot further perhaps ending with an art piece so feel free to leave some more ideas in the comments and I hope you enjoy thinking up your own list!

Things that make me happy:
1. Bread, still warm
2. A kiss from my dogs
3. Singing at the top of my lungs
4. Dancing in the Rain
5. Hammocks
6. An afternoon hike in the woods
7. Gliding along in a kayak
8. Campfires
9. The smell of pine trees
10. Small changes
11. A note on the bathroom mirror
12. Our secret word
13. A phone call from a friend
14. Getting Mail
15. Warm M&Ms
16. Spring
17. The sound of the sewing machine humming along


Then, I asked people a group of online women I "know" to add to the list and they came up with:

18. roof over my head
19. good food to eat
20. spending money
21. time to sew (work on soul fulfilling activity)
22. a sunny day after days of clouds
23. watching my kids figure out the solution to some "problem"
24. soft baby skin
25. your kids hugs
26. the words "I Love You"
27. Sunshine and fresh air
28. Juicy summer watermelon
29. ability to get online and "talk" with other mamas
30. cat snuggling against me at night
31. son laughing
32. son squeeling
33. warm sun on my skin
34. jumping in rain puddles
35. watching my seedlings grow
36. the smell of rain on dry earth
37. baby feet
38. baby smiles
39. baby cuddles
40. birds singing
41. rainbows
42. The first direct rays of sunshine on skin when wearing a short-sleeve shirt after a long winter.
43. A hot latte with real whipped cream.
44. Real whipped cream.
45. Yellow.
46. Blue walls with white crown molding.
47. Polka dots.
48. Fresh flowers on the dining room table.
49. Mud pies with sides of grass and weeds.
50. A bowl of Life (cereal) for breakfast.
51. Pipecleaner animals.
52. Sun setting on the kids playing outside
53. birds singing first thing in the morning
54. wind through the trees
55. that place on my husbands neck I bury my face into when we hug
56. being able to finish a project start through finish\
57. fresh homemade bread
58. hugs from my kiddos
59. the feel of their skin touching mine when we snuggle
60. the way the kids both sigh in their sleep
61. the baby rooting for me when we are asleep at night
62. fiona buring her nose in my hair at night because she likes the smell of it
63. holding hands with my hubby
64. eating together at the kitchen table
65. having a house that we are working hard for
66. singing kids songs with the kids, and listening the the funny lyrics that they say
67. playing makeup with my girls
68. having a "fashion show"
69. painting tiny toenails
70. baby feet
71. when the baby smiles in her sleep
72. new grass between my toes
73. walking in the sand
74. building a sandcastle
75. A NAP!!!!!
76. Sleeping late (like that ever happens, but a girl can dream)
77. making mudpies
78. when you tell you kid "stop" and the actually stop
79. kids laughing
80. sleeping next to my dh at night
81. warming up my cold feet by putting them under dhs legs at night (dh doesnt love 82. that one as much as me )
83. playing the piano without anyone to hear
84. singing in the shower
85. making clothes/diapers for my kids
86. drinking a coke without having to share any of it
87. making hot wings for dinner just because "I" like them (same goes for hubs
88. favorite soup, and chicken and stars for the girls)
89. Children swinging
90. My vision - I can see. (My friend is loosing her sight)
91. A pen that writes
92. unborn baby kicks
93. Children's "bouquets" no matter how bedraggled
94. Warm hugs from children stopping their play for a moment
95. Birds chirping
96. Strawberries
97. Hens clucking contentedly as they scratch about
98. eggs
99. my daughters dancing and having fun
100. a baby's giggle
101. sisters making each other laugh
102. the sound of the soft breeze through the trees
103. a clean home (found my new nirvana )
104. ice cream on a hot sunny day
105. smell of coffee in the morning
106. a home
107. family to love
108. playing in the kiddie pool (adults enjoy it too )
109. spinning wool into yarn
110. knitting
111. a little quiet time to yourself
112. flowers
113. birds
114. the groundhog digging up the lawn (he's really cute to look at)
115. smell of horse manure and hay on a frosty cold morning in Buffalo and hearing their soft whinnys as they greet you looking for their morning food and caress from your hand and a nuzzle.
116. an Icee at the fair
117. family getting together and laughing
118. My daughters' painting.
119. The drawing my daughter made me on her own for mother's day that is sitting above my sewing machine on the wall.
120. A healthy body (I am truly thankful that I am able to sit, stand, walk, run, dance, chase after children, breastfeed my babies, etc. (my mil has ms & has been wheelchair bound since my dh was 6!))
121. children's healthy bodies

Wow, I had a lot more than I thought!

"Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." ~ Mildred Barthel

"We always have enough to be happy if we are enjoying what we do have--and not worrying about what we don't have." ~ Ken Keyes, Jr.

"People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." ~ Francesca Reigler, artist

“The mind is like a garden: if you plant potatoes, you will get potatoes. If you plant flowers, you will get flowers. If you plant nothing, you’ll get weeds.” – Anonymous

I Choose to Plant Happiness!