Happy is a Verb

True happiness does not happen by itself. It takes effort. Action on your part to work towards the goals you set for your life. To become the best version of yourself.

I also believe that happiness requires a certain amount of gratitude and relaxation. The trick to being happy is the ability to stop. To take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that you have achieved something you worked hard for. To relax and enjoy that moment of triumph no matter how big or how small.

People who never take a moment to appreciate what they have may end up very successful, but they may never be happy. There is a reason for the saying money can't buy happiness.

So what makes me happy?

PEOPLE
 1) Family - Laughing around the dinner table with my family is one of the most rewarding ways I can spend an evening. It swells my heart to bursting.

2) Friends - Spending time with my closest friends is like spending time with family.

3) Love - I am a passionate creature.


PLACES
1) My parent's house - That house is my harbor. Just being there gives me a sense of comfort and security.

2) The Lake - The lakes in Oklahoma are beautiful. I associate the lake with relaxation, playing hard, friends and not a care in the world.

3) Bookstores - My mecca. Filled with every great story ever told! I dream that I will someday have a book on the shelves alongside my favorite authors.

4) Libraries - Same thing.


THINGS
1) My bike, Flicka

2) A new book

3) A cute pair of heels


CIRCUMSTANCES
1) Friday afternoon

2) When the air smells like fresh cut grass and spring rain

3) When the Sooners win a big game

4) When I hear a great song on the radio and I'm driving windows down, singing off-key at the top of my lungs.

5) The few seconds after a 360 on the jet ski. When the water is crashing around me creating a halo of misty rainbows.

6) When I am the center of attention

7) When I am in the middle of reading a really great book for the first time

8) When I am in the middle of reading a really great book for the upteenth time

9) When I go out to my parent's house and discover the pool is uncovered for the first time each summer.

10) When I am lying in bed with my lover. Talking and laughing and cuddling in post-coital bliss.

11) When I finish a big task or catch something before it becomes a problem at work.

12) When I finish a long, hard bike ride and I can barely lift my leg to get off my bike. And I realize I made it through. That I just pushed myself beyond what was possible even the week before.


It is in the little things for me. Those precious moments when the world aligns and I am able to fully enjoy my surroundings. That space in time where I find myself taking in the present with a greatful breath and letting it go again with a giggle. And I realize that something has just tickled my soul.

I urge you all to pay attention to what tickles yours.

Goodnight - ShayMarie