Choosing Happy



 

Hello friends.

 

For a while now I've been consciously choosing to live a happier life, after a difficult few months following the sad loss of my partner's dear Mum.  Although we miss her and the grieving continues, we both decided that we wanted to make the effort to choose joy over gloom when and where we could.   Choosing Happy can be difficult, it's so seductive and easy to be negative and we sometimes need to work that extra bit harder to uncover the gratitudes in our ordinary days.

 

Here are a few of mine from this week:

 

Finishing a new painting is usually a very happy moment, the journey from beginning it to it's end is usually full of different feelings, but when it's going right and it ends up the way I've imagined it, it's usually good ones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The Sail Loft :: my newest work)

 

This last week has been full of special and ordinary happy moments...

 

Going to see my solo exhibition at Studio 61 Gallery in Derbyshire was wonderful.  Finally being able to see the end result after months of work was delicious as I remembered all the weeks of painting that had taken place to get to this moment.  I make no apologies for applauding my own achievements that day! 

 

The gallery is in the middle of beautiful countryside, but you'd be forgiven for thinking you were by the coast, it's got such a gorgeous beachy vibe going on and reminds me of a rather cosy beach hut.

 

Ordinary things make me happy too...

 

 

...like having my favourite food for breakfast - I absolutely love the simple ingredients of a good poached egg, real butter and toasted seedy bread - finished off with a little sprinkling of sea salt and a generous grind of cracked black pepper...heaven!  Also whilst out and about, I discovered (and bought) an exquisite jar of apricot conserve with a peachy little ceramic kilner jar style lid in a deli, and then found some French brioche rolls stuffed to bursting with little nibs of chocolate that had to come home with me.  It's no lie, food brings me so much delight, I love the pleasure of eating it and the sensory aspect of preparing it too.

 

 

I also enjoy good coffee.  Especially coffee with chocolate stars on the top.

 

Other things from my week that have lit me up:

 

Seeing a bright silvery moon glinting through the trees last night

My friends

Espresso dark chocolate

Singing songs in bed with my wee girl

Seeing the garden becoming greener and new flowers ready to burst from succulent buds

Rare moments of warm sunshine in a wet, cold week

Funny film of the week: Bruce Almighty *wet pants laughing*

Good books and my bed

Coast magazine for a dose of the seaside

 

I enjoy taking pleasure from the simple things in life and making time to do more of them.  Most of them are free, like hugs and smiles, walks in nature, feeling the sun on my face.  I think if we focus on the bad things in life we are going to see and feel more of them in our lives, and so if we focus on Choosing Happy and looking for the positive then we are going to see and feel more of those too.

 

What makes you feel happiest?

Why not make a plan to do that thing?

 

Love J xxx

 

 

ps - apologies to those who received this post unfinished in their inbox, I am not sure as to why but Blogger self published it before I'd even begun to write it! :)

 

Wishing you a happy day and sending love.