Wordless Wednesday

How did you do that?

A Happiness Fix

Is there such a thing as a happiness fix? I think so and I think you can get your "fix" in just a few minutes. Here are some things to try when you need to boost your spirits.

1. Blog. It can give you a place to journal about life, your family, whatever is important to you. You can also get a boost from positive comments that other people leave you.

2. Get outside and soak up the sun. (I know that I get very crabby when it is rainy or cloudy for too long.) Even standing in the sunlight coming in through a window can brighten your spirits. Sunlight also gives us Vitamin D which keeps serotonin levels high. (This is a feel-good hormone.)

3.Exercise. Just being able to move your body and work up a sweat can make you feel better. Sometimes just being done exercising puts me in a good mood. I know I've accomplished something good for my body.

4.Listen to music. Your favorite tunes can make you feel happier right away! Music activates the part of our brain that's hardwired for pleasure.

5. Garden. It's hard to have your fingers in the dirt nurturing something and stay feeling blue. Studies have been done that show being around flowers can relieve stress and increase calmness. It works for me!

6. Be generous. Once in awhile leave a bigger tip or pay for coffee for the person in line behind you. I tried the 29 Days of Giving Challenge where you had to give something away every day for 29 days. It made me feel good every time I gave something away.

7. Volunteer. There are nursing homes, shelters and other charitable organizations always looking for help. Knowing that you're helping others will make you feel good too.

8. Spend time with your kids, grandkids or the neighbor's kids. Experiencing little joys through the eyes of a child will cheer you instantly.

9. Pamper yourself. A new shade of nail polish, a good haircut, a new pair of earrings...little treats for yourself will definitely improve your mood.

10. Look at photos displayed in your home or in your photo albums. You can't help but smile when you look at your favorite people and remember the good times spent with them.

These are just a few ideas to bring about instant happiness. Which of these would work for you? (Can you tell I love looking at photos of and spending time with my granddaughters?) What's your favorite thing to do when you're feeling down?

Just Plain Silly

     I read this on another blog and I thought it was hilarious! (and of course I had to try it!) 11 year olds say that the skin on your elbow is called a WEENUS (yeah, I know) and that it is a true indication of one's age. Oh, really? Well, if you straighten your arm and pull the fattest piece of that skin away from the body, the speed in which it retracts tells you RIGHT THERE if you are old. If I pull mine out, I have to kind of push it back, because it doesn't snap back very easily. It is slow going. So apparently I failed the young WEENUS test. I am officially old.
    I suppose someone could do some research and come up with a formula to determine how fast your weenus should flatten out. Doesn't that sound like a gov't contract just waiting to go out...Anyway, give it a try. If nothing else, just learning a new word has been worth it!

Wordless Wednesday

Such pretty flowers on such prickly stems!

Five Minutes Away From Happiness

Is there such a thing as a happiness fix? I think so and I think you can get your "fix" in just a few minutes. Here are some things to try when you need to boost your spirits.

1. Blog. It can give you a place to journal about life, your family, whatever is important to you. You can also get a boost from positive comments that other people leave you.

2. Get outside and soak up the sun. (I know that I get very crabby when it is rainy or cloudy for too long.) Even standing in the sunlight coming in through a window can brighten your spirits. Sunlight also gives us Vitamin D which keeps serotonin levels high. (This is a feel-good hormone.)

3.Exercise. Just being able to move your body and work up a sweat can make you feel better. Sometimes just being done exercising puts me in a good mood. I know I've accomplished something good for my body.

4.Listen to music. Your favorite tunes can make you feel happier right away! Music activates the part of our brain that's hardwired for pleasure.

5. Garden. It's hard to have your fingers in the dirt nurturing something and stay feeling blue. Studies have been done that show being around flowers can relieve stress and increase calmness. It works for me!

6. Be generous. Once in awhile leave a bigger tip or pay for coffee for the person in line behind you. I tried the 29 Days of Giving Challenge where you had to give something away every day for 29 days. It made me feel good every time I gave something away.

7. Volunteer. There are nursing homes, shelters and other charitable organizations always looking for help. Knowing that you're helping others will make you feel good too.

8. Spend time with your kids, grandkids or the neighbor's kids. Experiencing little joys through the eyes of a child will cheer you instantly.

9. Pamper yourself. A new shade of nail polish, a good haircut, a new pair of earrings...little treats for yourself will definitely improve your mood.

10. Look at photos displayed in your home or in your photo albums. You can't help but smile when you look at your favorite people and remember the good times spent with them.

These are just a few ideas to bring about instant happiness. Which of these would work for you? (Can you tell I love looking at photos of and spending time with my grandkids?) What's your favorite thing to do when you're feeling down? 

Wordless Wednesday

Brews and Moos!

Christ Didn't Degrade Women

I follow Ann Voskamp and her blog  (you will also find her on Facebook). She has written some very inspiring posts and also finds great links that she passes on. This past weekend she wrote this piece and I really liked it and wanted to share it.

"Christ never beat down a woman with harsh words or lusting eyes or sneering innuendos, but He stepped in and stopped a broken woman from the abuse of angry men.

Christ didn’t degrade women in His talk, but He made women heroes in His stories. He invited a woman with a coin and broom to reveal the truth about the Kingdom of God. That’s how God loves women with His words.

Christ didn’t demonize women but He accepted the presence of a woman reviled by the self-righteous, and He welcomed the rejected though he lost the respect of the religious. That’s how God loves women with His grace.

When Christ stepped out of that black tomb, He still didn’t choose to first manifest Himself to prestigious officials, religious leaders, the Twelve, or to any man in any position — but instead He revealed Himself first to the women. He entrusted the veracity of His resurrection to the testimony of the women, He offered the privilege of proclaiming Christ as the risen Savior to the women, though no court at the time would accept their testimony. That’s how God loves women with His regard.

And know this…there are more than a few good men.

There are more than a few good men rising, more than a few good men doing hard and holy things, more than a few good men who elevate women because they’re about elevating Christ."

     In this age of sexual harassment of women so prominent in our news this is really something to think about! Just another way that Jesus showed us how to live.