Tag: happiness

Joy

Celebrating May, a great month to be outside.

Trillium in the woods

May Joy

The smell of lilacs permeates the air.

The chickadees cardinals and orioles sing at their hopeful best

My beautiful niece is married

A swallowtail butterfly lays eggs on the blooming golden Alexander.

Golden Alexander is a swallowtail host plant

Every tree shows its own personality,

The first hummingbirds in my yard,

The freedom of biking to events and just for fun.

A season of hope,

Columbine and wild geranium bloom,

The violets are radiant!

Hummingbirds follow the blooming Columbine.

Discussions about what to do with dandelions. And even the first dandelions bring joy!

Be mindful, pay attention, get outside and see our beautiful world!

“Dandelions are one of the earliest flowering plants in spring, dandelions provide food for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, rabbits, birds and deer, just to name a few. The dandelion also helps below the surface by feeding the soil with its deep root structure.” unknown source

Yea, It’s Spring

Happy spring, the sun has returned

peace on earth

It’s a beautiful world. Spring is a gift.

The world is always turning to the morning!

March 20 is the first day of spring, International Day of Happiness and Nowruz. Nature has given us the beauty of spring. Be sure you spend time outside every day to appreciate our beautiful Earth. Ancient people celebrated the first day of spring thousands of years ago!

For the Northern Hemisphere, March 20 is the first day of spring. But for 300 million people around the world, it’s the beginning of a new year, too. Nowruz—which means “new day”—is a holiday marking the arrival of spring and the first day of the year in Iran, whose solar calendar begins with the vernal equinox. Nowruz has been celebrated in Iran and the Persian diaspora for more than 3,000 years. Its roots are as a feast day in Zoroastrianism, a religion practiced in ancient Persia that viewed the arrival of spring as a victory over darkness. The holiday survived the Islamic conquest of Persia in the seventh century and the decline of Zoroastrianism’s popularity, and it spread across the globe through the diaspora of Persian people throughout history. (Here’s how Persia became the world’s first true empire.

It is hard to celebrate much happiness with such chaos in the world. Try to spring clean your brain and think about mental health for yourself and those you love. Be good to yourself and be good to the entire world.

How can you spring clean your brain?

5 Ways to Calm Your Anxious Brain – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

If you are spring cleaning your brain you need to reduce it’s exposure to plastic https://health4earth.com/2025/02/08/plastic-in-our-brains/

This year’s theme is caring and sharing. Make your own happiness special! Go for quiet walks and watch for changes around you as we transition into spring. The birds are returning and the lake near my home is almost losing its winter ice! Soon new buds will be on the trees.

Today also sees the launch of the new World Happiness Report 2025, which explores the variations in happiness around the world. The United States falls to a record low in happiness.. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-drops-to-record-low-in-2025-world-happiness-report-see-global-rankings/ar-AA1BgYsy?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Peace

Work for peace. Peace for Ukraine, the Middle East and conflicts in Africa.

Actions For Happiness!

 

And kindness, too!

“If we can’t change the circumstances, perhaps we can alter our attitudes.” Dr. Dale Anderson

The events of the last few weeks in the U.S. Capitol are depressing. This doctor was in the Startribune this week, I hope you can find a way to brighten your day. The Actions For Happiness calendar follows.

Upbeat techniques

Dr. Anderson outlines ideas to be happy in his book, “Never Act Your Age.” They include:

• Maintain good posture in order to present yourself in an upbeat matter. There are lots of techniques for practicing good posture — including the classic book on the head — but Anderson suggests that whenever you feel yourself slumping, take three steps backward. Your body will instinctively adjust its alignment, raising your head, neck and shoulders.

• Keep your eyes wide open. Be aware of what’s going on around you, searching, exploring and connecting. Mindfulness!

• Smile, even if you’re wearing a mask. Keep your forehead and cheeks up. Strive to appear radiant and alert.

• Do something that makes you feel better. Go for a walk. Call an old friend. Turn on upbeat music. Surround yourself with pleasing aromas. I would add, find beauty in your day!

• Shake up your routine. Sit in a different chair at the dinner table. Brush your teeth with the opposite hand. “Welcome new, novel and challenging encounters.”

January Hope

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“Our democracy isn’t about any individual, even a president—it’s about you”  Barack Obama

Special days in January: It is a historic month for the United States, giving us all hope! Let’s start by telling the truth, being kind, and working for justice.

January 5, Senate elections in Georgia

January 6, Congress meets to certify votes for the new U. S. president

January 7, 1789, The first U.S. election for president was held

January 8, Clean off your desk day!

January 14, Bald Eagle Day

Bald Eagle
Symbol of the United States

January 15, Martin Luther King’s Birthday

January 18, MLK Holiday

January 20, Inauguration Day, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in as president and vice president of the United States.

From the Actions for Happiness group ideas for January 2021:

How can we be happier in 2021? Things have been really tough over the last year and we’re still in difficult and uncertain times. This January, we’re encouraging everyone to focus on small daily actions to create more happiness for ourselves and others. We can’t change the situation, but we can choose to show kindness and respond positively whenever possible.

 

New November

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live!” Seneca

Be curious, ask questions, listen, volunteer, read a new book, take a new class, meet a new person, try something new!

What new things would you like to learn? I love this month’s happiness calendar. It’s about learning something new. A friend of mine attends the University Of Minnesota every weekday to study French, just for fun. She’s curious and learning something new! There is so much to learn and enjoy about the Earth and about difference cultures and ideas. So much to learn about science and geography, about history and literature, and on and on.  I hope the below calendar makes you curious and helps you learn some new things. I hope it helps you set new goals, and that you have a “New Things November.”

Sundays: Super Sunday! A perfect day for kindness. How can you show people they are special to you, and that you are thinking of them?

Mondays: Make It Respectful Monday! Demand people show you respect, and show them respect back. Aim high, never gossip, lie, bully or make fun of people. Compliment, and active listen.

Tuesdays: Good Thoughts Tuesday!  Give yourself a boost of positive energy. Enjoy the day and have fun. Turn off politics, Facebook and Twitter.

Wednesdays: Zero Waste Wednesday! Bring your lunch, use only reusable dishes, glasses and utensils. Cook your dinner, no take-out, and no wasted food! If possible leave your car at home. Have fun being good to the Earth!

Thursdays: Thankful Thursday!  Think of all the people you are thankful for. How many times you can say, “Thank you.”

Fridays: Listen/Friendship Friday! Check in with an old friend or make a new friend. Listen and ask questions.

Saturdays: Smile Saturday! The more you smile the happier and better you feel. Good luck!

 

 

Inspiration for a Happier World

Optimistic October

Our collective acts can make a big difference. Optimism makes us all happier. Share positive thoughts, work for justice, respect and kindness to create a collective positive effect on the world.

The Action For Happiness people are working on good thoughts and optimism this month. It makes me happy just thinking about it! Below are my suggested daily actions and the Actions for Happiness October calendar.

Sundays: Super Sunday! A perfect day for kindness. How can you show people they are special to you, and that you are thinking of them?

Mondays: Make It Respectful Monday! Demand people show you respect, and show them respect back. Aim high, never gossip, lie, bully or make fun of people. Compliment, and active listen.

Tuesdays: Good Thoughts Tuesday!  Give yourself a boost of positive energy. Enjoy the day and have fun. Turn off politics, Facebook and Twitter.

Wednesdays: Zero Waste Wednesday! Bring your lunch, use only reusable dishes, glasses and utensils. Cook your dinner, no take-out, and no wasted food! If possible leave your car at home. Have fun being good to the Earth!

Thursdays: Thankful Thursday!  Think of all the people you are thankful for. How many times you can say, “Thank you.”

Fridays: Listen/Friendship Friday! Check in with an old friend or make a new friend. Listen and ask questions.

Saturdays: Smile Saturday! The more you smile the happier and better you feel. Good luck!

Wishing you good thoughts in October

August Actions

kindness, too!

There is so much anxiety and frustration with our elected leaders. In August, I hope you can step back some frustration, be kind to yourself, and be kind to the people in your world. Let’s work to make things happier and kinder. Below are my actions for more kindness and happiness. Also, Action For Happiness has a new Altruistic August calendar. See below.

These are my August Actions. They will make you happy !

  1. Educate yourself and vote! Many states have August primary elections
  2. Everyday spend quiet time outside doing something you love like walking, biking or gardening.
  3. Write a post cards to elected officials telling them how important clean water is to you.
  4. Have a conversation with someone you haven’t spoken to before.
  5. Smile!
  6. Encourage your employer to add wellness/happiness practice to their goals.
  7. Reduce your plastic footprint by refusing plastic and using reusable bags, containers, plates and utensils.
  8. Have several Trump-free days each week.
  9. Everyday be grateful, and always tell the truth!

Action For Happiness Calendar