We are happy as pigs in mud!!!!
Now I try to be happy as often as possible, but as we know, real life happens and our happiness stores can literally get drained. The other day, I was having a particularly, great day, I was as happy as a pig in mud…… Everything just felt good. I thought to myself “why do I feel so good???” Had I found a new wonder drug??? Had I received a raise at work?? Had our teenagers cleaned the house?????? NO, none of the above……But I did find my answer…I was having “Grateful day”: It made me realize how feeling grateful literally boosted my mood. It was as if taking stock and taking a moment to smell the roses had slapped me in the face and said “You are one lucky lady.”
“Why are you so grateful?” I hear you ask me.
Well……I adore where we live……you may say well you must live in your “dream house”, no our house is a normal everyday house, actually it is quite small and nothing like I would picture my dream house…but I love that we live in the country at the bottom of a mountain and we are surrounded by stunning nature, our house is modest but comfy and homely. I love my family…….no none of us are perfect…….my hubby and I have been together for nearly 25 years and we are different, we disagree from time to time, we have different interests but we love each other and share the same morals and goals in life. Our greatest achievement is that we have brought 2 little munchkins into the world. Are our kids “good”? Well I would say that our kids are “normal”. Sometimes good and sometimes, let’s just say, “challenging”. I think parenting teenagers is like riding a Giant roller coaster…..sometimes fun, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes everyone is having a great time, than sometimes you feel like you are going downhill faster than you would like and sometimes it is just downright scary. At times I want to pinch their little cheeks and cover them in kisses but at other times I want to run off screaming and ripping my hair out. We love them and try to do the best job we know how and some days feel happy and other days we just have to look for happy moments. I am happy at work….Do I have an awesome job that pays stacks? No, but I work in a friendly team and we get on well, my job is not far from home and fits into my kid’s school day. I feel productive, part of a team and I feel valued…..that makes me happy. I love my free time?? Do I spend lots on shopping; do we travel lots, dine out often and rub shoulders with influential people? No, I walk the dog, catch up with friends, cook, try to stay on top of chores and I go to Zumba classes. “Ohhh” I here you say….”you go to Zumba; you must be fit and sexy?” No way….the Zumba classes are run in an old hall by a lovely lady older than me who loves music and dance……my class has no resemblance to the sexy Latinos shaking their booties on television. Actually, we probably look more like a Country women’s association, cooking class than a sporty, trim bunch of athletes….but we have fun.
So as you can see my life is not grand or filled with material riches but I am grateful everyday for happy moments and for what we have. I am happy for every blessing in my life, no matter how small and I really believe that this gratefulness helps keep me happy and gets me through the tough times.
“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach (Author of Simple Abundance)
“Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach (Author of Simple Abundance)
What are you grateful for????? What makes you happy???? Let us know???
happyasapiginmud 
This morning the hubby left for a boys weekend (as you know – fellow wife with free time!)
Anyway, since its not often I get time alone, I decided to go roller skating. Not the sexy roller blading. No no..the daggy clod hoppers from the 80s roller skating. Its been 25 years – scary when you realize you can talk in decades, hey! Anyway, I found a part of the bike track that was hidden from the road with trees and bushes, and went for it. So lets see what Im grateful for today.
Getting out of bed. And not in pain. Loving husband. Him having a good time away. Being able to do physical exercise. Even if there was more time on the side of the track gasping for air than actual movement – hey, I said its been 25 years didnt I!
During the “gasping intervals”, just looking. And listening. One spot I stopped at – and there were many, oh so many- had a swamp. After a second you heard the frogs. Then cows in the background. Then spending the time to look – tiny birds, a cow hidden behind a tree only metres away, wierd coloured bugs, so many things. We miss so much when we dont stop and listen. Even in what was a frantic, bumpy, muscle ripping and if truth be told – somewhat scary time, there is so much beauty out there, so many noises out there, so many smells out there. You dont have to be roller skating in the country to witness these things. You can find them locked in a room, driving the car, everywhere. You just have to stop.
I dearly love this poem (sadly I dont know who wrote it)
Oh world, I can not hold thee close enough!
The winds, the wide grey skies.
The mists
that roll and rise.
The woods,
this autumn day
that all but cries with colour.
That gaunt crag, to crush.
To lift the lean of that black bluff.
World, world, I can not hold thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all
But never new I this.
Here such a passion is as stretched me apart.
Lord, I do fear
You made the world too beautiful
this year.
My life has seen many challenges, some very traumatic.
These past few months have been very challenging for me. Self confidence and self worth have been in limited supply however I always use the “pollyanna” system. I run through all of the good in my life, the things I can be grateful for, and reflect on the fact that really my life is rich compared to others.
One thing that is high on the list, apart from my wonderful husband and kids, are my friends. Friends are always there when you need a shoulder to cry on, someone to make you laugh, and often they have a way of making you look at your current dramas in a different light.
I am grateful for a home especially after experiencing the agony of all our possesions fitting into the boot of a car. I am grateful for food on the table – let’s face it I could do with less of it! and after watching my Mother in law suffering with Breast cancer I can be grateful for my health.
It’s all about focussing on the good and the wonderful…
Love your comments ladies!!!! Kerrie would love to have seen you roller skate……I am picturing a scene from the movie Xanadu with Olivia Newton John groovily rolling around on the dance floor…..but instead I now have an image of you bumpily rolling about on a bush track. I know which one makes me smile more!!!
Jill, thanks for your words. Put into perspective, even when times are tough, as long as we have our loved ones and can think of a few things to be grateful for we have so much. I have a feeling some more good and wonderful is just around the corner for you….You deserve every good thing that comes your way.
OMG girls you are bringing tears to my eyes!!! It’s a common thing amongst us all to say “I wish we had more money, or better car or bigger holidays” but looking at what we “do have” is much more rewarding. I still look at our daughter and think ……. wow……we made her!!! And I am soooo grateful for that as I have a couple of friends who can’t have children and a couple that it’s too late for, so that is my first huge one. Next I have fantastic parents, very loving and giving. I have a big family and loads of friends (even though most of them don’t live near me 😦 ) We have a great job, house, dog, food on the table and clothes on our backs!! Wow………..I am VERY grateful 🙂
That is it in a nutshell Lizzie. The best way to look at life is through grateful eyes. When we are truly grateful for what we have instead of wanting what others have, then the endless need for more “stuff” just seems to melt away. So here is cheers to being Grateful!