Life Interferences....and Happiness stuff

I keep wanting to write my New Year’s Resolutions post, but it seems that I can’t get to it because I am too busy doing stuff. It is sort of funny how life interferes with your plans for life sometimes. My interference this week has been working, although you might think I am not doing anything now, Ha, so it seems. I am in school substituting for a teacher, and friend, whose family has come down with that crazy Influenza A.

I should back up and sort of start this from the beginning…like a movie flashback. Way back when I started this goofy blog thing, I had just finished up reading, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Since this time she actually has a new book out, but I have decided not to read that one, since I am still so busy on my own project. At that time after I quit my teaching job, and we moved to another town in another state (actually only a 32 mile move to a place we knew very well), I decided to start my own version of all of that happiness stuff.

So, in 2011 I toyed around with some “categories” and how to improve them. In 2012, I was semi-serious and started a few lists of things that I wanted to work on. I kept track rather randomly, but did manage to get a few things accomplished. I am sort of a poster child for the adult version of ADD. I start all sorts of things and never finish anything, or so I think. Then the cycle goes that I feel like a failure because I never do anything.

So in my 2013 list of things that need to be done, I have decided that documenting my accomplishments and doing  frequent reviews will help me overall. In fact, in many ways, I can back track to the day that someone made fun of all the lists I make. The truth is my mind works best when I am organizing something. Thus, I have decided to treat everything as a problem to organize, and if making lists, documenting and crossing things off is what I need to do to feel worth-while, then dog on it, that is what I will be doing all of 2013.

I figure at the very least, this new plan will let me know what I am doing and what I am not doing. It has already given me more time to work on things that I have been wanting to do, like knitting. You ask how has that happened? The answer is simple, no where on the list does it say play computer games. Ha! So if it isn’t on the list, it isn’t scheduled, and it won’t take up time. Hurrah, now if I can just stick to it. On the other hand the time saved will likely be lost in the documenting of what was done then reviewing it against the to do list. I am wondering if I can win this battle. Although if the goal is happiness, I know that figuring the statistics of how much has been done will at least be fun for this statistic nerd.

One the other hand, I haven’t been able to totally fill in my 12 items for improvement because I have been in school substitute teaching for three days in a row. This dilemma is sort of a joke on me because on of my 12 items is earn more money towards the family coffers. I guess this is where life sort of interferes with the plans we have for ourselves. I am sort of wondering how the “life interfering” is hitting on my oldest daughter this week. If you remember she is the one who ran for and won a seat in the state legislature. Prior to that she had one or two, I don’t want to say complaints, but rather audible remarks about being single. Well, while she was busy campaigning, life handed her a boyfriend. Funny how that works, now I am just hoping that life doesn’t “interfere” with the rest of the family too much.

Anyway, the bottom line in the New Year’s Resolution is to pursue Happiness while living life to the fullest, and to live in the moment. I have begun to realize that there have been some really happy times in this 55 years, and amazingly some of them have been in the midst of some of the craziest events. Charles Schultz wrote that Happiness is a warm puppy. I would say it is that and : a pride of purring cats, a rambunctious grandson,  a trio of ambitious daughters, a maturing marriage, a growing garden, full pantry and a wise and healthy family.

For all of you I wish that you find Happiness in 2013, whether you are pursuing it or it just finds you. Take care!!

About these ads