Infinite Happy Days - Gratitude and Joy Posts - Part 3
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Zeppelin, Labyrinth, oh my.... WonderTwin Power... activate!
I think I learned to meditate in my teens without realizing it, by cranking Zeppelin on high volume & sitting in the center of the speakers & just zoning out.... the 1st 4 albums on constant repeat. (yes, I started with albums & cassette tapes, lol) I still think best with very loud rock & roll blasting in the background.... I even fall asleep like that....they are my all-time favorite band.
I think I learned to meditate in my teens without realizing it, by cranking Zeppelin on high volume & sitting in the center of the speakers & just zoning out.... the 1st 4 albums on constant repeat. (yes, I started with albums & cassette tapes, lol) I still think best with very loud rock & roll blasting in the background.... I even fall asleep like that....they are my all-time favorite band.
Have SO MUCH FUN on your trip - you deserve it!!
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Join Date: Feb 2012
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I listened to the entire The Wall album for the first time in YEARS on my drive to Michigan last weekend. Since the advent of online music, I have a tendency to put my entire playlist, or certain artists or genres, on shuffle. It was so great to listen to the whole album from start to finish again.
And here's yet another post from me being grateful for how far my XH (not an addict) and I have come. We split up almost 10 years ago, and the first few years were grueling and horrible. We have fought hard for peace and cooperation. We recently discovered that the child support unit where he lives (he receives support from me) had incorrectly terminated the child support order and corresponding withholding from my paycheck. We worked TOGETHER to find the correct order, and we worked TOGETHER to make sure the child support unit received it and that everything is fixed. Friends, even a few years ago, he would have just called his lawyer (who is an awful, horrible human being who repeatedly took advantage of him and his parents' deep pockets) and swallowed all the crap she would have fed him, hook, line and sinker. Which would have resulted in a ridiculous court filing to run up her legal fees, because never once has he actually RECEIVED any of the ridiculous demands she would convince him to make. He also called me last night and we had a good talk about DD13. She has been struggling a bit lately, and we agreed to send her to a therapist. This is HUGE for XH, who tends to poo-poo mental health issues unless they are of the "needs extensive inpatient treatment somewhere" variety. When we were done talking about DD13, I told him that I appreciated very much how far we've come, and how we have put our own differences aside for the good of our daughters.
And I am ALSO grateful that yesterday I decided to spend my lunch break at work looking for upcoming concerts, because I am always a fan of gifting *experiences* for holidays rather than stuff. My gentleman friend and I have gone to two super fun concerts during our relationship, so I was thinking it would be great to find a show coming up in January or February, and tickets would be his Christmas gift. Concert tickets to his kind of stuff don't tend to be very expensive in our area, so it seemed like a perfect solution to the age-old gift problem.
Then my search revealed that one of his very most favorite bands (a Swedish black metal band who usually only tours here when they have a new album, which is usually only every 3-4 years) will be in Chicago IN TEN DAYS. Miraculously, there are still reasonable tickets for sale. Even more miraculously, I was able to find a babysitter for his daughter and my son for that night. I'll have everything together and finalized tomorrow morning, so Santa will be visiting our house two months early to drop off his gift when he gets home from work tomorrow night.
I love it when stuff like that comes together. It happened last Christmas, too, with DD13's gift. It always makes the season of giving sooooo much more rewarding when you can give something meaningful that doesn't cost a fortune and doesn't require you to bend over backwards to make it happen.
And here's yet another post from me being grateful for how far my XH (not an addict) and I have come. We split up almost 10 years ago, and the first few years were grueling and horrible. We have fought hard for peace and cooperation. We recently discovered that the child support unit where he lives (he receives support from me) had incorrectly terminated the child support order and corresponding withholding from my paycheck. We worked TOGETHER to find the correct order, and we worked TOGETHER to make sure the child support unit received it and that everything is fixed. Friends, even a few years ago, he would have just called his lawyer (who is an awful, horrible human being who repeatedly took advantage of him and his parents' deep pockets) and swallowed all the crap she would have fed him, hook, line and sinker. Which would have resulted in a ridiculous court filing to run up her legal fees, because never once has he actually RECEIVED any of the ridiculous demands she would convince him to make. He also called me last night and we had a good talk about DD13. She has been struggling a bit lately, and we agreed to send her to a therapist. This is HUGE for XH, who tends to poo-poo mental health issues unless they are of the "needs extensive inpatient treatment somewhere" variety. When we were done talking about DD13, I told him that I appreciated very much how far we've come, and how we have put our own differences aside for the good of our daughters.
And I am ALSO grateful that yesterday I decided to spend my lunch break at work looking for upcoming concerts, because I am always a fan of gifting *experiences* for holidays rather than stuff. My gentleman friend and I have gone to two super fun concerts during our relationship, so I was thinking it would be great to find a show coming up in January or February, and tickets would be his Christmas gift. Concert tickets to his kind of stuff don't tend to be very expensive in our area, so it seemed like a perfect solution to the age-old gift problem.
Then my search revealed that one of his very most favorite bands (a Swedish black metal band who usually only tours here when they have a new album, which is usually only every 3-4 years) will be in Chicago IN TEN DAYS. Miraculously, there are still reasonable tickets for sale. Even more miraculously, I was able to find a babysitter for his daughter and my son for that night. I'll have everything together and finalized tomorrow morning, so Santa will be visiting our house two months early to drop off his gift when he gets home from work tomorrow night.
I love it when stuff like that comes together. It happened last Christmas, too, with DD13's gift. It always makes the season of giving sooooo much more rewarding when you can give something meaningful that doesn't cost a fortune and doesn't require you to bend over backwards to make it happen.
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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The concert sounds fun, Wisconsin!
Grateful for fishing - always. Even my worst times out were amazing.
I caught a beautiful brown trout this weekend that some people fish their whole lives for and never catch. I teared up after the excitement wore off because I wanted to call my dad and tell him and show him pictures. I've shown everyone I know and it doesn't make up for not being able to show him.
But the more I think about it, the more I know he was THERE...during my shrieks of joy and panic as I was pulling it in, during creation of the mess of fly line tangled from my hair to my feet, and during the high fives and couple tears after. Better than telling him on the phone and texting him a picture, he was there and saw it all and I am super grateful for the experience.
Grateful for fishing - always. Even my worst times out were amazing.
I caught a beautiful brown trout this weekend that some people fish their whole lives for and never catch. I teared up after the excitement wore off because I wanted to call my dad and tell him and show him pictures. I've shown everyone I know and it doesn't make up for not being able to show him.
But the more I think about it, the more I know he was THERE...during my shrieks of joy and panic as I was pulling it in, during creation of the mess of fly line tangled from my hair to my feet, and during the high fives and couple tears after. Better than telling him on the phone and texting him a picture, he was there and saw it all and I am super grateful for the experience.
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Join Date: May 2012
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Grateful for my 5-yr old nephew's little sense of humor & endless jokes (now that he's in THAT phase, lol)....... I have giggled at least a dozen times remembering his telling of this joke in the car last week:
Knock Knock!
Who's There?
A Little Old Lady!
A little old lady, who?
I didn't know you could yodel, Aunt Fire!
Knock Knock!
Who's There?
A Little Old Lady!
A little old lady, who?
I didn't know you could yodel, Aunt Fire!
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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OMG, that knock-knock joke ^^ has been around for a looong time, hasn't it?
One of my nieces, now in college, had this gem when she was little:
What did the dinosaur say to the pickle?
Hi, Pickle!
We still laugh about it, all these years later, and sometimes greet her by saying "Hi, Pickle!"
One of my nieces, now in college, had this gem when she was little:
What did the dinosaur say to the pickle?
Hi, Pickle!
We still laugh about it, all these years later, and sometimes greet her by saying "Hi, Pickle!"
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I love this phase honey, I remember DD going through it & getting so excited about her jokes that she'd blow the punchline but giggle like a maniac anyway. Listening to/watching them crack up at themselves makes me SO HAPPY! We've spent every Sunday at nephew's soccer games & I've never had so much fun watching kids run around & be completely silly for an hour.
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Grateful for Family Classic Movie Night tonight. (My BIL calls it 6F Night: fast, fried, or frozen food - family fun night). DS and I will be hanging with my sister and her family. And our brother is up from CA so the kids are super excited. Uncle B is a favorite of the kiddos. When they were little, their enthusiasm resulted in constant puppy piles (dog pile on Uncle!). It's not quite as rambunctious now that they're older, but the sense of humor across the generations results in some pretty good sarcasm zings going back and forth.
Typically, the movies are ones that came out when we were younger or before (ranging from things like Ferris Bueller to 2001 to Spartacus or Abbott and Costello...) For some reason, the boys all left part way through the "Last Unicorn" that my sister and I picked out.
Not sure what we're watching tonight, but I'm looking forward to the family time.
OH! Just got to brag a tiny bit: My oldest nephew got a perfect score on the Chem SAT and just found out he's been accepted to MIT. Super proud of him!
Typically, the movies are ones that came out when we were younger or before (ranging from things like Ferris Bueller to 2001 to Spartacus or Abbott and Costello...) For some reason, the boys all left part way through the "Last Unicorn" that my sister and I picked out.
Not sure what we're watching tonight, but I'm looking forward to the family time.OH! Just got to brag a tiny bit: My oldest nephew got a perfect score on the Chem SAT and just found out he's been accepted to MIT. Super proud of him!
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So happy to see this thread revived this morning, thanks TU..... Great stuff in your update, brag away!!! That's fantastic news!
Just happy these days folks. Life keeps presenting obstacles & we keep jumping & dancing around them, individually & as a family at times, but still moving in a forward direction..... there aren't enough words to express my gratitude & happiness about that above all. It's looking to be our best Christmas in many years & I'm a little afraid of jinxing myself by acknowledging it, lol! (so instead I'm going to shout it from the rooftops & not give the thought power over me)
We are 100% prepared for this weekend, everything left is just the doing & the having & the being in the moments. Shopping-wrapping-baking-decorating, all checked off the list.
Happy Holidays to all of You, my friends of SR, whichever way you choose to celebrate this time of year.....may your homes be filled with peace & love!!!!
Just happy these days folks. Life keeps presenting obstacles & we keep jumping & dancing around them, individually & as a family at times, but still moving in a forward direction..... there aren't enough words to express my gratitude & happiness about that above all. It's looking to be our best Christmas in many years & I'm a little afraid of jinxing myself by acknowledging it, lol! (so instead I'm going to shout it from the rooftops & not give the thought power over me)
We are 100% prepared for this weekend, everything left is just the doing & the having & the being in the moments. Shopping-wrapping-baking-decorating, all checked off the list.
Happy Holidays to all of You, my friends of SR, whichever way you choose to celebrate this time of year.....may your homes be filled with peace & love!!!!
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Join Date: May 2012
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Where is everyone?
Where did all the HAPPY go?
I brag on DD's teachers all the time, but her Science teacher taking the time to continue teaching the kids while home on maternity leave (using google classroom, etc along with an in-class sub) impresses me more than I can express. I am so grateful that she cares THAT much.
You all know how much I adore car-dancing as a way to keep happy in crazy traffic..... yesterday I was lucky enough to be stopped at a light behind a much older version of myself. This woman had to be every bit of 70+ & she never stopped dancing & wiggling in her seat - COMPLETELY jamming out to her tunes. There were arms flying in accent to the words she was belting out as she sang along. I pray hard to my HP that I stay as open & carefree & able to grab those moments of Happy when I am the same age, without fear of judgment from others. Rock On, Anonymous Lady, Rock On.
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FS, a while ago I recommended a book called "A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither" by Nina Wise. One of the things she talks about in the book is "hand dancing." Here's what she has to say about it:
Move the hands, however they feel like moving. You can do mini-hand dances, moving only your fingers as your wrist rests on the keyboard or the desk or the steering wheel. Or you can include the entire hand and the lower arm. If you're feeling very shy, you can keep the hands on your lap. You can hand dance while talking on the telephone or lying in the bathtub or walking on the beach.
You might move only one hand at a time and let the other respond, as if your hands were having a conversation. You might move your fingers very quickly or very slowly. Your hands might touch and get deeply entangled in one another, or never touch and remain quite distant. You might invent your own shapes w/your fingers and palms. You might let your hands fly into the air or shimmy or wave. You might find it hard to begin. Begin anyway. You might find it hard to stop. You don't have to.
The author goes on to tell how she was in a meeting w/a New York editor, her publicist, and her agent and was asked what practice from the book was her favorite. Going blank, she blurted out "Let's hand dance!" Everyone looked at everyone else uncomfortably, and then the editor agreed to do it if everyone closed their eyes.
So they did, except the author cheated and peeked and was incredibly amused by this group of power-suited professional women in a fancy conference room in a New York skyscraper waving their hands around like nobody's business!
So perhaps hand dancing could be a stepping stone to being Anonymous Car-Dance Woman for those of us who aren't quite so brave yet?
Move the hands, however they feel like moving. You can do mini-hand dances, moving only your fingers as your wrist rests on the keyboard or the desk or the steering wheel. Or you can include the entire hand and the lower arm. If you're feeling very shy, you can keep the hands on your lap. You can hand dance while talking on the telephone or lying in the bathtub or walking on the beach.
You might move only one hand at a time and let the other respond, as if your hands were having a conversation. You might move your fingers very quickly or very slowly. Your hands might touch and get deeply entangled in one another, or never touch and remain quite distant. You might invent your own shapes w/your fingers and palms. You might let your hands fly into the air or shimmy or wave. You might find it hard to begin. Begin anyway. You might find it hard to stop. You don't have to.
The author goes on to tell how she was in a meeting w/a New York editor, her publicist, and her agent and was asked what practice from the book was her favorite. Going blank, she blurted out "Let's hand dance!" Everyone looked at everyone else uncomfortably, and then the editor agreed to do it if everyone closed their eyes.
So they did, except the author cheated and peeked and was incredibly amused by this group of power-suited professional women in a fancy conference room in a New York skyscraper waving their hands around like nobody's business!
So perhaps hand dancing could be a stepping stone to being Anonymous Car-Dance Woman for those of us who aren't quite so brave yet?
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Originally Posted by FireSprite 
You all know how much I adore car-dancing as a way to keep happy in crazy traffic..... yesterday I was lucky enough to be stopped at a light behind a much older version of myself. This woman had to be every bit of 70+ & she never stopped dancing & wiggling in her seat - COMPLETELY jamming out to her tunes. There were arms flying in accent to the words she was belting out as she sang along. I pray hard to my HP that I stay as open & carefree & able to grab those moments of Happy when I am the same age, without fear of judgment from others. Rock On, Anonymous Lady, Rock On.
But I think the arms flying indicates she really WAS rocking out.
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Oh, yeah - she was most definitely Rockin' Out. Her music was up, her windows down & she was passionately singing along while "dancing" to the beat. 
I love how no matter HOW old I get, someone keeps telling my how YOUNG I am, thanks for making my day Lex!
Really happy I managed a good night of sleep (it's been "off" lately) AND a great morning workout. Even better - no work tomorrow so I kick off my weekend tonight. I have a gift certificate from Christmas so I'm starting with a pedicure right after work, woohoo!
I love how no matter HOW old I get, someone keeps telling my how YOUNG I am, thanks for making my day Lex!
Really happy I managed a good night of sleep (it's been "off" lately) AND a great morning workout. Even better - no work tomorrow so I kick off my weekend tonight. I have a gift certificate from Christmas so I'm starting with a pedicure right after work, woohoo!
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I'm grateful to be back home and inside where it's warm!! I'm also mighty grateful for the sunny, clear skies--it has been gray so much of the day for a long time now. I'd never make it in a place like Seattle...
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Grateful for a short work week.
I had a psych teacher in high school that explained the importance of "mental health days." Yep - she sort of told us that playing hooky once in a while is a GOOD thing, and naturally, it's always stuck with me.
I call in sick 2 days per year to work - and I do a river check (go fishing) on the 4 rivers in my valley - once in the spring and once in the fall partially justified by cool psych teacher's recommendation. I added to it this week and took 2 personal days off last weekend because it was the year mark of losing dad. I had been weepy at work the previous week, and just decided to take care of myself, and relax, be lazy, have lunch with friends, and sock in at home for a long weekend. Because of it, this is a short, EASY week! Gratitude for Mental Heath Days! It changed the course of how this week would have been for me.
I had a psych teacher in high school that explained the importance of "mental health days." Yep - she sort of told us that playing hooky once in a while is a GOOD thing, and naturally, it's always stuck with me.
I call in sick 2 days per year to work - and I do a river check (go fishing) on the 4 rivers in my valley - once in the spring and once in the fall partially justified by cool psych teacher's recommendation. I added to it this week and took 2 personal days off last weekend because it was the year mark of losing dad. I had been weepy at work the previous week, and just decided to take care of myself, and relax, be lazy, have lunch with friends, and sock in at home for a long weekend. Because of it, this is a short, EASY week! Gratitude for Mental Heath Days! It changed the course of how this week would have been for me.
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Hugs, firebolt--anniversaries are always hard, I know. From what you posted last year, your dad sounded like a really great guy, and I can't imagine how tough it's been for you to lose him.I've never really had a good "father figure" in my world, and to tell the truth, I'm a teensy bit jealous...you are a lucky girl!
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My dad actually used to encourage us to take Mental Health Days as early as high school (so long as we were in good standing with grades, etc.) & while I've always valued them, I didn't truly learn to appreciate them until starting my own recovery. I used to be unable to shake that feeling of "not deserving" something "unearned". Now I enjoy these days to the fullest when I get them.
Sounds like you used impeccable timing with this one Fire, ((((((((Hugs))))))))
Honey - I don't think I could live north of Valdosta, GA ever again after decades of living in tropical climates.....& I'm not entirely sure I could even handle that! I can't even IMAGINE a real winter!!
Sounds like you used impeccable timing with this one Fire, ((((((((Hugs))))))))
Honey - I don't think I could live north of Valdosta, GA ever again after decades of living in tropical climates.....& I'm not entirely sure I could even handle that! I can't even IMAGINE a real winter!!
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