14/100 Happy Days

How sweet is this? I only taught this little girl for one afternoon - imagine the love her regular teacher gets! 
(The handle on the back of the card is because they are learning about castles and making shields)

Kindness, Love and Monopoly

During the Easter weekend I played monopoly with my 2 younger children. Not my first choice of game as I remember,  but my children seem to forget, the inevitable rollercoaster of emotion and dispute.
100 Mitzvahs suggested this morning that playing a game, especially one you don't like, is a kindness - I'll add it my list then!

Again, I find myself reflecting on what kindness is. These kinds of kind acts are surely what we SHOULD be doing.



It seemed unnecessary to blog that I had had some fun with my children (they love the experience of extremes of emotion, it must be cathartic).

Kindness is not usually a conscious goal but a general state of being, looking after other people's happiness and needs as well as your own.
Blogging these things reminds me that acts of kindness are a constant expression of the love in our lives we share with the world.

Feed the birds

As suggested by St Alban's Diocese: 'Live the challenge'

Feed the birds, treasure God's creation.
As you feed the birds watch them and take time to wonder at the beauty of what is around us. The more we wonder and appreciate the wonder of what is around us, the more we will take care of it - and enrich our own lives.

What makes me happy?

What is happiness and how can you become happy?
Is it the absence of want?
Is it contentment?
Doing something you love?
Being absorbed?
Creativity?
People often know what they don't want, they have got to know their problems and dislikes very well but don't know what they do want. With nothing positive to aim for it is all too easy to get stuck in the misery of what is wrong and see happiness as something lost or only for others.

Things I love make me happy
thinking about things I love makes me happy

Sun, sand, waves
Woodland, meadows, birdsong
land art, baking, painting, drawing
camping, dancing, spinning poi
parties, friends, family
learning new things
gratitude, fun, joy, awe and wonder

Walking into happiness

At a happiness talk I experienced 'walk innovation' - a process developed by Adam Shaw, experienced in nursing, Reiki, NLP and more!

The process involves five steps:
Grounding, Breathing, Focus, Gratitude, Being Present

In groups of three we walk and breathe and focus on gratitude - What do you really love?
Observing the other two in my group was great while I focused just on my breathing and getting grounded, questioning someone I didn't know about what made them happy was wonderful.
My 'questioner' discovered that I love nature, beauty, beaches, long hot summers, rolling waves, exhileration, creating things, having friends and family with me, being appreciated, and candy floss.
I got quite excited by candy floss because I was really focused on what I loved about it, it's associations in memories and positive emotions. I surprised myself (another positive emotion!) and left measureably happier and more energetic than when I arrived.

Make love your golden rule

Ask yourself:

'Does love drive this decision or behaviour of mine?'

If you can answer 'Yes'
you can't go wrong, can you?