Happiness

*sorry this post appears as a total run-on with no spaces! Blogger wasn't cooperating with me for some reason tonight... I recently got an e-mail from a friend who I hadn't talked with in far too long and at the end of the message she wrote this: "I hope you are doing as well as it seems." (She had recently read my blog.) I stared at her words, thoughtfully. Had I not just finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, I might have not paid extra attention to what she had said. At first I was thrilled, "How wonderful that I come across as though everything is going so well!". Then I was sort of challenged: Am I doing as well as I seem? This idea of happiness really struck a chord with me, and the fact my friend commented on how "happy I seemed" the same week I was reading a book about happiness struck me as far too coincidental to ignore it. Was I? Was I as happy as I seemed? Is it too easy to post fun, cute stories on the blog and not write about any of the tough times? On the outside, my job seemes easy and, well, ideal. How many people get to stay home with their kids during the school year (and get paid to do so!) and have their summers off? But, truth be told, there are few people who could do what I do every day and enjoy it. Childcare is not for everyone, but it is a perfect fit for me. However, I often find myself thinking, "If I had a different job, maybe we'd buy a bigger house, have a nicer vehicle, go on fancy vacations...." and things like this. Last night I was having dinner with some highly successful friends (a dentist and a lawyer- one of my other best friends from high school is well on her way to becoming a doctor- how did I get mixed in with all these incredibly smart and successful women?) and I was honestly shocked to find out they are less than happy with the careers they worked so hard for. One friend commented as we were leaving, "You're so lucky you get to go home to your husband and I really should go back to work, then probably lay awake in bed all night thinking about my upcoming trial..." Hmm. I liked that. Lucky? I sure am. Happy and grateful? I could be more so. In the book, Gretchen has all sorts of lists and charts to monitor her happiness. I'm not an author, nor do I plan on doing a year-long project, but I really like the idea of doing small things daily to boost your happiness. I won't be charting or journaling or anything, but I hope to share with you some of the things I've done. If you're interested, she has a website for all thing happiness-related: http://www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com/. I do hope to post some things (maybe once a week) that I've been doing to be, well, happier. :)