Happiness in Our Lives

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a chance to reflect on my life and I have been asked about the happiness in my life. One question that really stumped me was how do we measure our happiness. To many people this word has many meanings and several people may answer this question the same way. Isn't a persons happiness just that personal. Well maybe not so, if you are not a happy person then maybe you bring others down when you are around them, therefore your 'happiness' is not personal.
How we measure our happiness can be very personal though as what makes me happy may not make you happy at all. To each person happiness has many meanings as well. One person says that they feel happy yet another says that they have happiness in their life. Are these mutually exclusive? Do they mean the same to everyone? My answer, no! One person who describes them self as happy can be just describing their present mood but the person who said they had happiness in their life could be describing their general disposition in life.
So, are happiness and optimism the same or are they related? I, as many, believe that they are related. One cannot be pestamistic and be happy. Isn't that a paradox of terms?
More and more psychological studies are being done on happy people and people who have happiness in their life, as well as optimistic people. Therapists believe that these people hold the key. They believe that the years of studying the depressed has not had the outcome they had desired. Now they have decided to go the other way. Maybe something will come out of these studies.
I think that the more positive a person is the better equipped they are to deal with a major stressor in their life. Whether some of that comes from some other source over their life or they developed it themselves early in their life makes no matter. Just that they stay positive is all that matters. Even when they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, just knowing it is there and with time they will find it is what will get them through.
Always laugh, it is a good stress relief for sadness or happiness. Laugh everyday and make sure to do it out loud!!

Jan. Blues

As the coldness of winter sets in there are lots of people who suffer from SAD (Seasonly Affective Disorder). I'm sure there are some of us who suffer from this at varying degrees beside those who are diagnosed with this disorder. As the temperatures drop I'm sure the symptoms get worse but the sun continues to shine during some of these days. So I wonder to what degree the symptoms affect a person. I seriously think that there are several people who wonder why they have the feelings of being "down" during the winter and wonder why they feel this way. There are lots of people who think that they feel this way simply because it is cold and they are just stuck in a rut. So just how many people are affected by this Disorder?  It is a mystery to me. There are lots of people who also just don't realize that there is a disorder, describing what they feel during the winter.
I have spoken to several friends and family who describe "being stuck in a rut" for the months of Jan. and Feb.  I'm sure a few of them don't know that there "rut" is actually a disorder. Apparently light therapy is a good treatment for this disorder as well as vitamin 'D'   I have tried the vitamin D. It has worked for me. But I plan to have a better treatment this year. I'm going to spend a week in the sun on the beach in Cuba. Hopefully that will help me with my 'rut' this year.
I have just returned from a retreat for 6 days and although it was still in cold weather, the new friends I made around the warmth of a fireplace, made it seem as I was basking in the sunshine in a southern climate.
Just before I plan on going to Cuba I'm going to another retreat. I'm hoping that I have an equally enjoyable experience on this upcoming trip.
I'd like to shout out a hello to the new friends. I'd also like to tell them that it was an honor to meet them and I hope to stay in touch with each of them.
As we said our good byes on Tuesday, we had already exchanged e-mails, we promised to stay in touch. I hope we are true to our word. I would also like to thank those who have already e-mailed me since we returned home.
Take Care and laugh every day, just make sure it is out loud when you laugh.
Laughter is your personal retreat to sunshine and warmth. It relieves stress and just makes you feel good.
I went for a rip on my motorcycle just before we received all this cold and snow breaking my own personal record.
New record -Jan. 14.  Prior Mar. 16. To me my bike is my retreat and my laughter. But we will be joined in a short couple of months.

Post Holiday sickness

Well it's official!!  I have the stomach flu :( been in the washroom since I arrived home from shopping with the Bags last night. Been there a few times today as well. I'll follow one persons advice of soft TT for the next hopefully 24-48 hours. Not nice!! The cramping and pain is brutal!!
Absolutely not eating today except yogurt!!
Hopefully better tomorrow .

Winter

Well we now have a touch of winter, as we did at the beginning of Dec.  Hopefully this will go away as did our previous blast of the whiteness and cold. I know it is winter but we have been so spoiled lately that I'm hoping for another winter like the past few. I have driven 30-40 kms away from my house to find a snow covered ground but in my yard we could see grass   That is until two days ago, now we have just enough to confirm that it is winter. To add to this the north wind has been blowing all day making it much colder than anywhere else. For someone who hates winter as much as I do this is not the way I like it. I wish it was summer again. But a friend of mine is in her glory as this weather is creating enough ice for her to go ice fishing. She says that if she can't ride then she wants to ice fish. I'd rather just ride all year and forget all the ice. My husband says we need the ice to freeze all the parasites and germs out there that we don't need. I say I'd take a few to having a year round riding season. But here's hoping that tomorrow will bring sunshine and a little warmth!,

A New Year

As a new year begins, so many of us try out new 'things' for a short time. Yet others go on to make those changes for a lifetime. But do we decide to make these changes just because it is a tradition to have a 'resolution' or do you think that there is something that you need to change about yourself every year.
I've decided to make one of these 'changes' as my resolution. You see my family have been nagging me for some time to quit smoking. Many times I've considered it but hadn't decided that I wanted to take the leap. But in the past year my hubby has been put on diabetic medication and I find myself nagging him about "treats" in his diet. During all of this nagging back and forth we also shared that we cared about each other's health and well being.  He nagged because he cared and wanted me to be healthy and I nagged because I cared about his health too.
With this realization and many other things about the whole issue I have decided to try to quit smoking as we enter into this new year.
I will try to keep a positive frame of mind with this challenge as I know that the statistics involved with New Year's resolutions are not great. I have made it through this day almost to the time that I'm ready for bed without having a smoke all day!!
So if I can make it through this one day, can I make it through every other day that follows herueafter?
I will take it one day at a time as I have with other challenges I have faced and hope for the beust in this outcome. I know many of my friends will be happy to see that I am no longer huffed to this habit.  But by saying this now I may be jinxing myself already, hopefully not!!
Good luck to you if you were brave enough to decide to make and then follow through with a resolution.  I wish you all the best of luck!!
Slowly by asking people each year to make these resolutions we will make positive changes in our future especially if  50% or more are susscessful at making the change.

Holiday Season Ending

As this Holiday Season and 2012 comes to an end and I review all the ordeals and happiness, I am so thankful for support of my ever caring family and now a new group of great ladies. Some of which I have met previously and some I had never met before this past year. These ladies have become some of the greatest friends I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
I have had some low points over the past year, one being my bike accident and some of the happiest days. This group of ladies has been there for me throughout all of these, some in both. We have shared some of the funniest experiences and some great stories with each other. It doesn't matter where we go or what we do, we have fun together. I know we have made bonds with each other that will be hard to break.
Also at this time I would like to take time to thank my family. My husband and children have been my greatest supporters. They have been there through thick and thin. They have picked me up up and held me up, lol. I love them with all my heart.
As we head into a New Year I would like to take time to wish all of my family and my great new friends a Healthy and Happy New Year.  As well as a long warm to warmer safe riding season this year.
As we move forward make sure to take time to look back.

Spreading The Sickness

Many friends and family know that this is the time that many sicknesses are spread around. With this Holiday Season of family visits and many gatherings in close quarters a sickness can be easily spread. While our in public we usually protect ourselves with little "tricks" we had learned either from our mothers or have picked up over our lifetime of learning. So as we press forward into the new year there are several in each family that are sick. To prevent further spread of your sickness you should remove yourself from the event of the day. It may take one or two days but if everyone did this there would be less germs spread.
So my advice to any of you who feel a little under the weather please feel free to give yourself a day off to rest. You will feel better and I'm sure everyone in your family would feel better with and for you. Also if your kids are sick, give them a day to 'feel sick' too!! They will return to school in better health also!!
So as our new year approaches I wish for a happy healthy one for all those in my life no matter how small or how large their role!!