Between the troubled economy and the swine flu scare, things can feel pretty bleak. Good grief. How do we keep our spirits up and notice the beauty around us? I like to celebrate the small pleasures. When life feels gloomy, I make a list of little things that make me happy and it instantly lifts my mood.
At first it can be hard to come up with twenty items. I admit I sometimes get that far-off, spaced-out look while I think. But the more I list, the better I feel—because I do have at least twenty things to be thankful for. That realization is worth celebrating. Just naming twenty small delights can turn my day around.
Even if I can only think of one thing, focusing on it helps me center on something positive amid the craziness the world is dishing out right now. Hey, clever wordplay. I’ll blame the paint fumes if you must. If I’ve started painting yet… not quite. I have two weeks!
Here is my random list of little happy things
(and notice the last item—A GIVEAWAY!)
These are in no particular order:
- Sunny days
- Chocolate with nuts
- The smell of coffee
- My son’s laughter
- Faith in a God bigger than my problems
- Spring flowers
- Scones
- Makeover projects on the cheap
- Cute shoes from the thrift store
- Paint (I’m stretching it here)
- Blogs that inspire me
- Friends who encourage me
- Friends I can encourage
- Family I adore
- A cozy bed at night to curl up with my husband
- A roof over my head
- Happy memories
- Dreams for the future
- Creativity
- New dishes — for one lucky winner: a $100 retail value gift certificate to DaySpring’s Life Collection
** GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED **
Recently DaySpring sent me some cheerful pieces from their new Life to the Full collection. I usually prefer white dishes, but I was delighted to add these for outdoor gatherings this summer. They are well made and truly lovely. Whether you use them for everyday meals or display them as decor, they bring a joyful note to the table. There’s no better time than now to celebrate life to the full.
This collection makes a lovely Mother’s Day gift—here’s a 20% off code for your next purchase.
How to enter this Happy Life giveaway
You can enter in any of these three ways — or all three for three chances to win.
1) Share a post about your beautiful life using the Mr. Linky tool for one entry.
2) Share in the comments a few little things that make you happy despite the swine flu and economic worries.
3) If you subscribe to The Inspired Room (or become a subscriber), you get an extra entry. A secret code will appear in the post; email the code to [email protected] with “CODE” in the subject line to claim that entry. You can subscribe by email or RSS; the code will appear in posts next week as well if you subscribe today.
That’s three chances to win a $100 retail value shopping spree for items from the Life to the Full collection at DaySpring.
Want to see more of the Life to the Full collection?
PS. If your procrastination project goes sideways this weekend, take a deep breath and find a laugh. We all relate—laugh with others, not at them.
Oops — Mr. Linky had some trouble earlier, so if you still want to add a post, feel free. Make sure your link goes directly to a specific “Beautiful Life” post and include a link back to The Inspired Room.
This giveaway is now closed.