Happiness

I just finished reading the book The Happiness Project and it's already had an amazing impact on me. It's got me wanting to hold my book out and offer it to everyone! haha

One of the things I realized is just how simple it is to overlook little joys. For example:
--I have been craving Tuna Fish sandwiches for a week now. I don't like fish really, but it just sounded so good and it's something I can eat that is filling and healthy. (I got braces almost 6 months ago and it's becoming harder actually to find good and healthy food that won't break a bracket.) I hadn't said anything to my mom about it, but we were down to 1 can of tuna fish and I didn't want to be the person who took the last can. I hate being that person on anything; so I was waiting until next week when I could get to the store and buy some. Well, yesterday I came home and there were 5 or 6 cans of tuna!! I was ecstatic! Seriously, deliriously happy about such a small thing: Not only did I now have tuna, but my mom had bought it without realizing just how much I wanted it. It made me feel loved and appreciated and thought of, even if she didn't buy them for me. It didn't matter.

--I'm grateful for the skill I learned my senior year of high school: I can skim read and still comprehend. This is actually a really important skill to have I've learned. I used it most recently with this book. I was over halfway through it when I realized that I needed to go back and highlight sections; there was just too much information I needed to be able to get at later on. So, with my skill, I went back to page 1 and skim-read to get my information. I'm able to read just a few words within each paragraph on the page and remember what I need to know for that whole thing. It doesn't have to be the first few words or the last few words or even words side-by-side. Just any random few words and I'm good. That saved me at least another 3 days of reading.

--I love (and hate) that I make lists all the time. Positives are that it helps me remember everything I have to do, it keeps my thoughts organized, the information is *ALWAYS* available since I'm likely to have a list someplace around me at any given point, and it's a great memory exercise. Since my family has a history of Alzheimer's Dementia, I actively try to engage my mind; exercises like this are supposed to delay the symptoms should I ever have this disease. All major pluses.
--The negatives?: It's an actual constant *NEED* to do these lists. I don't like have check marks or items marked through on my list, so I will make a new one; this often leads me to feel like I haven't accomplished anything since I can't see physical evidence of a completed task, but my OCD just won't let me have those "dirty lists." And I don't always make them efficient. I know it's better to group things in sensible ways so you can maximize efficiency but I don't do that. I just write as I remember and then I end up skipping around and making a mess of my list and I can't have that. (See IMMEDIATE PREVIOUS POINT!! LOL)

To quote my hubpages post (Which I think you guys should check out: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Happiness-Project-Wonders):

In the end I know what makes me happy:

• It's the thing that surprises me and the things I take for granted.
• It's the people I surround myself with and the people I miss.
• It's the time I spend doing what I love and the time I spend looking forward.
• It's the life I'm making and the life that's making me.