THOSE LITTLE THINGS

Do you often find yourself feeling happiest during the grander times in your lives (such as weddings, births, falling in love, job promotions or other happy occurrences that leave a lasting impression; feelings of pride, excitement, glory…) ?   That’s certainly not a bad thing, but how do you feel when those times are over and the euphoria just isn’t quite the same as it was before? Do you find yourself feeling low, blue, bored with life and perhaps somewhat depressed?   I think all of us go through that.  It’s natural to want to hold onto the good feelings we experienced during positive times in our lives because not only were those times the more memorable ones, the ways we reflected that positivity (through feeling genuinely happy, feeling the love, excited to wake up that day…) gave our bodies a healthy boost of energy, a stronger healing power, and an overall feeling of well-being.  But life isn’t one big continual party, and most of our grander times are interspersed between, by comparison, more mundane daily living.  So how can we keep our spirits up to par? 

Take notice of the ordinary moments.  You may discover the smaller picture of your life has a lot to offer in regards to keeping you upbeat and happy.  I find that paying close attention to little “pleasure treasures” as I call them, often lift my mood and elevate my sense of well-being.  For me, there are many, but here's a few that give me a personal high:  Singing along with a favorite song; a resonating choir of tadpoles in early Spring; waking up to someone serving me breakfast;  the smell of fresh cut grass; rainbows after a warm summer rain; having my feet massaged; arrays of beautiful flowers; colorful Fall leaves; Sunday afternoon naps during football season; the lull of rippling streams & gently rolling ocean waves; playing hide & seek with my dogs; knowing everyone’s inside safe & cozy; the yummy smell of stuffed turkey and other favorite foods cooking in my kitchen; the first blanket of sparkly snow; Christmas carols; …     

Just recently my husband & I were driving along a country road when we came upon a farmer mowing a field of grass.  I made him slow down to a crawl as I immediately lowered my window, allowing the fresh grass bouquet to seep into my senses.  As it did so, I was momentarily whisked back to when I was around 10 years old, playing with Nibbles, a black & white spotted rabbit we’d adopted from a local Fair.  Nibbles lived in a rabbit hutch in the back yard.  Each day throughout the summer I’d take him out of the hutch to the clover field farther back of the house so he could snack on his favorite 3-leafed treat and get his exercise.  I would lie down amidst the clovers and watch the clouds drift along the pale blue sky, reshaping themselves into whatever my imagination’s eye willed them to be.  Although my attention was on being a cloud artist, my subconscious apparently picked up the smell of fresh clover and the rustling sounds Nibbles made as he hopped around through the bright green grass.  I felt happy and at peace there.  Now, when I smell fresh cut grass, I’m reminded of those days in that field with my little rabbit friend.  And I feel good. 

The same thing happens in the Fall while driving along and allowing myself to become immersed in the colored beauty of changing leaves.  The colors themselves are considerably enough to lift my spirits!  Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I’ll be on a long drive where my senses are attuned to a mixture of mood elevators.  Example:  I love the Smokey Mountains during the Fall; soaking up the colors as they hug me at every bend in the road or path; marveling at how easy the vibrant hues poke through the early morning fog stretching across the purple mountaintops; the smell of wood smoke curling up from a chimney mingled with the crisp clean air, even the raucous sound of a crow flying off in the distance…  It all intoxicates me in a happy way.

These things are not of a personal congratulatory nature, nor do they focus on any achievement, status, or major occurrence in my life which gives the kind of ‘high’ mentioned above.   Nevertheless, the good feelings they do impart, when combined with other little things that may occur on any mundane day, can, if I open my mind and senses to them, keep me in a pretty good mood J

What are some ‘little things’ that work for you?