Tag: smile

I have Chosen to be Happy

Smile and be kind every day!

 On this International Day of Happiness, practice compassion, kindness and empathy and strive to make this planet a better place where all can live happily. Please bring Joy to the People around you and have fun! 
 
 

My ideas to have a happier day: 

!. Smile and be kind 

2. Appreciate the nature around you. 

3. Look at people and listen deeply. 

4. Take a break from your phone 

5. Go for an outdoor walk 

6.Take a deep breath 

7. Help another person and give them a big hug. 

8. Eat only healthy food 

9. Do something good for the Earth, pick up litter, buy nothing, no to plastic, plant-based eating, don’t waste food. 

10. Sign up for 10 days of happiness: 10 Days of Happiness — International Day of Happiness – 20 March  

Being kind to the earth will make you happy!

Below is from the International Day of Happiness website:  

On this International Day of Happiness 2023, let us remind ourselves and those around us that although it is difficult to be happy in testing times, it is also the only thing that helps us get through the tough times. 

This year, you can do your bit by spreading happiness among your social circles. Even simple acts that don’t require much effort, too, stand the potential of bringing great joy to people around us. 

Here is what you can do: 

1. Spend time doing something you love 

2. Do something nice for someone 

3. Spend time with your loved ones 

4. Do something that will make you feel healthy like working out, eating clean or quitting smoking 

5. Help needy individuals by either giving them food or donating to them something you don’t use anymore. 

On this International Day of Happiness, practice compassion, kindness and empathy and strive to make this planet a better place where all can live happily. 
 
 

Live with Wonder and Kindness

Albert Einstein described feelings of awe as “the source of all true art and science.” he said, “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better!” 

An amazing live oak tree in Texas

I feel awe for our amazing, beautiful country, and have been on a wonderful winter road trip into the center of the United States. We traveled from Minnesota to Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. We drove through a landscape of snow and wind generators in Iowa, and the flat farming prairies of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, and then through the hill country of Texas into the flat flood plain of the Gulf of Mexico.  Next, heading north into the swampland of Louisianna and Arkansas, the hills of Tennesse and Kentucky into the farmlands of Illinois, and finally back into hilly Wisconsin and lake-covered Minnesota. The landscapes and terrain change, but so do the people, plants, trees, birds and the weather.

Knees of the bald cypress tree

I am intrigued by the live oaks of Texas and the cypress trees of Louisianna and Arkansas, and also by the incredible diversity of trees in Tennessee.  We love the unique birds of the Gulf of Mexico, but also love seeing our Minnesota birds in a different habitat. 

As I travel, I cherish meeting people from all over the world, but especially enjoy how pleasant and friendly people are in the Southern part of the United States. Many go out of their way to greet you on the street, “How’re ya doin?” or “Hi honey!” Something I don’t experience in Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin or Iowa. In the North we all can be kinder/friendlier and smile more!

Bald Cypress trees create awe

How can we experience wonder every day?

How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health – The New York Times (nytimes.com)   

Need a 2023 New Year’s Resolution? Try Nurturing “Everyday Awe.” | Sierra Club 

7 Ways to Find Awe in Everyday Life – Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays 

  1. Drop the devices and gaze at the clouds or stars. 
  1. Visit a local, state or national park. 
  1. Take an Awe Walk in your neighborhood, noticing things as if for the first time. 
  1. Describe to a friend or write about a time you once felt awe. 
  1. Visit a museum or planetarium. 
  1. Get up early to watch the sunrise. 
  1. Play amazing music. (Beethoven’s Fifth comes up often. Psychologist Michelle Shiota suggests Alison Krauss’ “Down to the River to Pray” and Carlos Santana’s live “Europa.”) 

Related: Feeling Awe May Be the Secret to Health and Happiness

February Fun

We all are in need of some serious fun! Isolation and this pandemic have gone on for too long. What can we do to help our mental attitude? Every day when you wake up smile and make a simple plan for something that you find to be fun, play a game, play with your children or pets and laugh. Or spend time outside and enjoy the beauty of nature, breathe and smile. Or call or text someone, and laugh, but never make fun of anyone but yourself!

The Actions for Happiness calendar has ideas for connecting. Make it fun!

red heart

Being kind will make you happy!

Optimistic October

The World Belongs To Optimists

The United States is at peace for the first time in twenty years, people are getting vaccinated, the drought is subsiding and the fall colors are stunning. There is a lot to be thankful for and that gives hope and optimism for the future. Smile, take three deep breaths, spend time in nature and enjoy each day!

Smiling is good for your health! October 1, is World Smile Day.

The Actions For Happiness people have their Optimistic October Calendar below. I would choose one idea a week from their suggestions or create your own activities that make you optimistic.

Some special days to celebrate in October:

October 1, World Smile Day

October 2, International Day of Nonviolence

October 5, National Be Nice Day

October 6, National walk/bike to school day

October 10, World Mental Health Day

October 11, Indigenous Peoples’s Day

October 24, United Nation’s Day

October 31, Of course, Halloween!

Have a hopeful October

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.”

Kindness Matters

World Kindness Day 2021

A smile is an international way to show kindness. Smile today!

kindness
November 13, is World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. This day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, has the purpose is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between nations.

Altruistic August!

spread a ripple
smile!

Kindness and smiling create a ripple, spread them now!

Smile: A Poem by Spike Milligan
Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin. When he smiled I realized I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected. Let’s start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

Become mindful how your actions affect others? Smile, turn down the music, sweep instead of leaf blow, turn off your car instead of idle, pick up litter,  control your dog, follow the driving rules, and wearing an a mask is an act of kindness. Thirty-one actions below for acts of kindness:

During August the idea is to do one or more acts of kindness daily. Let’s spread a wave of kindness all around the world. 

 

Happy World Kindness Day

A smile is an international way to show kindness. Smile today!

World Kindness Day 2019, World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on November 13. On this day, make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds to all people and the Earth too.  Yes, please be kind today and everyday!

November Gratitude

Minnehaha Creek
This stream runs directly into the Mississippi River. I am thankful my community works to keep the water clean in the creek near my home.

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”  Marcel Proust

Each day as I walk or look out my window I am so thankful for our magnificent earth. I love the birds, plants, wildlife and landscapes. I love how the seasons change and the colors change. I love the sunshine, love people who smile, and love each new day. I am so lucky to live where there is clean drinking water and away from forest fires and rising water. Many disasters are facing our earth, and it’s easier to focus on what is awful rather than the simple things around us that are wonderful. For our own mental health, positive energy and gratitude can keep us healthy.
November is a month with less sunshine, colder temperatures and shorter days. In November we can’t wait for the sun to shine or warm temperatures, we need to be mindful of what else is good in our lives, and be thankful.

Fridays For Future
I am thankful for people who work to make the world better. Greta!

To live in Gratitude, be mindful of your surrounding, the food you eat, and the people in your life. Listen to people, smile, be thankful for what you have, and buy less stuff.”Gratitude turns what we have into enough!“Anonymous  Pause, smile, breathe and enjoy everyday with gratitude. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude“. Brene Brown

what a Wonderful World
Be thankful and enjoy!

Smiling and saying thank you creates ripples of thoughtfulness and kindness throughout the world, and that’s something to be thankful for!

What is the good in your life? What are you thankful for? Read ways to put more gratitude in your life here.  Enjoy

THANK YOU