Happiness Project: Enjoy it now!

First I'd like to report on how my week of slowing down went. It was going well in the beginning. I really tried to stop rushing around, or at very least stop looking like I was in such a hurry. I took the time to stop and chat with people (at church, school, out and about doing errands) instead of just giving them a hurried wave on my way out the door and it felt great. Happy? You betcha! So that was the beginning of the week. Later in the week, I had the brilliant idea to bake a pie and try to time it perfectly so that it would be coming out of the oven right as we were finishing dinner. Sounds delish, right? Who doesn't want fresh, homemade blueberry pie right out of the oven? Well I got consumed with this idea of perfect timing and in the meantime, I spilled salt alllll over the counter (that's fun to clean up). I also dropped a liquid measuring glass (somehow it didn't break). The pie turned out fine and Kent appreciated my timing efforts as his ice cream slowly melted over the warm pie. Then, later in the evening I was reaching for something in the bathroom and knocked Kent's cologne bottle right off the shelf. CRASH. Slow down, Laura. Evidently, I am still a work in progress.

When we were reorganizing our kitchen I came across some chocolate Tammy had brought home from Spain. I thought to myself, "What am I saving this for? Why not enjoy it right now?" After a chilly morning outside on the treehouse, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to use it to make hot chocolate- and serve it in the mugs from Spain!

Similarly, lately we've been doing lots of spring projects around the house. We've been in this house over 5 years now and I guess I kind of had it in my head we wouldn't be here much longer, so I kind of put off things. Why spend time painting and decorating if we're just going to move soon? Well, I thought to myself, "Enjoy it now." I would be happier if the house was they way that I wanted it so what was I waiting for? Plus, with the addition of the treehouse, I figure Kent and the kids would be crushed if we picked up and moved. So, since we're here for at least another couple years, it's finally time to dig in and get this house looking the way I want it to!

In "The Happiness Project" book, the author discusses how we often, maybe even unconciously, think things like, "I'll be happy when.....fill in the blank (get a raise, have a child, remodel the house, etc.) Well, no more waiting to be happy for this girl. I've got a heck of a lot to be happy about and I'm off to enjoy it right now.