Happiness is . . . From the book "Eat Pray Love"

I just finished reading the book "Eat Pray Love".  I was hesitant to read this book, as I am not really big into praying and didn't want to get sucked into some religious rant.  I am glad I decided to read it.  It was a different kind of book for me, but it was good for the soul.  There was one particular excerpt from the the book about happiness that I found inspiring and wanted to share:

" . . . people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you are fortunate enough.  But that's not how happiness works.  Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.  You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.  You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.  And once you have acheived a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.  If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment.  It's easy enough to pray when you are in distress but continuing to pray when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to it's good attainments."

Gratitude daily . . .

Today, I am grateful that no one is keeping track of how many days of gratitude daily I have missed!

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . getting the chance to wear my favorite sweater.  Brandon bought me the greatest sweater for Christmas last year.  It is soft and snuggly and very cute.  If I could, I would wear it everyday.  But, since we have been blessed with a couple of weeks of 70+ degrees, it has been sitting patiently in my closet.  But today, it was cold and rainy, and I got to wear my favorite sweater.

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . . The kitchen is probably my favorite room in my house. The previous owners of this house did a fantastic job on the remodel. It is warm and cozy and big.

And today, I am grateful that I GET the opportunity to spend what feels like HOURS in my favorite room, CLEANING UP the messes, SEVERAL times a day, EVERYDAY -- loading the dishes, wiping down the huge expanse of countertops, cleaning up the food thrown so thoughtfully on the floor by one very cute one-year-old

OK. . .so,maybe this is not exactly what was intended with the gratitude daily. Tomorrow I will try harder.

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . I found a random SD card, stuck it in my computer, and found this . . . an instant smile

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . Today I am grateful to have the luxury of working from home and having a flexible schedule -- making it pretty easy to blow an afternoon off and spend it shopping with my hubby.

Yes, he likes to shop almost as much as I do.

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . a good friend who regularly feeds me and my family.  She is quick to invite us over (especially when Brandon is out of town) and she makes the most delicious food.  And there are few things better than not having to make dinner on a weeknight.

Gratitude daily . . .

I made it through today without losing my mind, and believe me, I was close.  So today, I am grateful for my sanity.

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . . A longer than usual fall season.  The leaves have all changed colors and are falling from the trees.  Our neighborhood is extraordinarily beautful right now.  It is filled with hundreds of 30 to 50 foot trees, all of which have turned  to reds, greens and yellows.  The streets and lawns are covered in a blanket of fallen leaves.  The abundant mature trees in this neighborhood was one of the biggest selling points when buying this house, and today, I am thankful to have such a beautiful place to live.

(Looking up at the tree in our backyard)

Gratitude daily . . .

Gratitude daily . . . an afternoon spent browsing the toy store with kids very excited for christmas, lunch with my 3 favorite boys, and finished off with a pedicure by myself.  A perfect Sunday.

Gratitude daily . . . .

My sister, Katie, has started doing a daily post called "Gratitude daily", to quote her:  "Gratitude Daily is a month long gratitude journal. As we enjoy this beautiful time of year, it's important to reflect on all the things we are grateful for. It's hard to see what you don't have, when you are noticing all the things that you do."

I was inspired and thought I would do it too  . . .

Gratitude daily . . . .the rare afternoon when the house work is done, both kids are napping, and I get an hour to just sit on the couch and enjoy a cup of coffee and the quiet.