Cheeseburgers in Paradise and Other Simple Pleasures

I just want to live happily ever after,

every now and then.

                              -Jimmy Buffett

On the recommendation of a friend, I recently tuned into a satellite radio station dedicated to the music of Jimmy Buffett and friends.  Although I enjoy Buffet’s music, I’ve never been a Parrothead, or been to a FIN-land concert, or bought one of his CDs.  That may change. 

I realized after about a week of listening to this new genre, that I was definitely feeling happier.  How can you not feel cheery with steel drums and a Caribbean beat in the background of our life?  Although I don’t necessarily subscribe to all of Buffett’s views on life, I admire him for standing in his truth with no excuses. 

And the lyrics, not just Buffett’s, but also those of his musical friends, are mostly laugh out loud, did he really just say that, hilarious!!!!!  Laughter IS such good medicine!!!

Creating happiness is a many-layered choice, which can, should, involve more than just thought and action. Certainly, thinking happy/positive thoughts and acting in happy/positive ways goes a long way, but I’m finding that when consciously engaging the senses, slipping out of my usual routines, and consciously recognizing, and then eliminating, things I do that create an agitated state of being – most done out of habit or a “my responsibility” place - the work is so much easier and much more fun.

To this end, I made a few adjustments to my daily routine – simple, pleasant, satisfying changes that are having quite an impact on my happiness status:

•  I stopped watching or reading the news. 
•  I wore my “good” clothes and jewelry, because today IS a special occasion.
•  I bought a bunch of beach-scented candles.
•  I lined my tables and windowsills and shelves with my favorite rocks, shells, pine cones, leaves and pieces of driftwood.
• I didn’t engage with “glass half-empty” people.
• I bought GOOD chocolate and GOOD wine and flowers, three bunches. 
• I called friends who make me laugh.
• I read a Mary Oliver or Rumi poem everyday.
• I visited websites with beautiful visual offerings (my favorite: Heron Dance) every morning. 
• I said, “How interesting,” instead of “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”
• I listened to Buffett, Marley, Franti and Prine and Chapin, too.
• I wore perfume.
• I danced with my grandson, the dog, and myself.
• I signed up for a new class at the gym.
• I unclenched my jaw.
• I said thank you, out loud, before I turned off the light at bedtime.

You know by now that Susan and I share a belief that choice is the bedrock of happiness, right action, authenticity, and an honorable place in the world community.  And that we believe that by putting out just a bit more effort, just 1% more everyday, we can affect personal and, ultimately, global change to the better.  Who doesn’t want a happier life and a better world?

So, try something new this week, find what fills you; surround yourself with people and music and things that bring you joy. 

Peace,

Dorothy

Dorothy:  We’ve just passed the summer solstice, and although the days will now be shorter, the sun will be brighter and warmer for a while.  I’ve vowed to not miss a moment of it, to take every opportunity I can to be out of doors, to soak up every last bit of this beautiful, life-supporting energy I can and shine it out  to everyone I meet along my way!

Susan:  I enjoy changing up my regular schedule now and then by trying something new for no other reason than because it sounds interesting … and of course, might provide me with a new perspective on life.  Some of my recent favorites have been:

• Enjoying mornings completely by watching the day come to life, even if it means I need to wake up 30 minutes earlier.
• Having a second, or even a third cup of tea.
• Putting at least my feet in the sunshine for 15 minutes.
• Reading thought provoking, as well as, humorous literature.
• Wearing my favorite summer sandals even though I am just sitting in the back yard reading.
• Spending time with people who are intelligent, interesting, and progressive.
• Drinking bubbly on a week night!
• Taking a detour into a neighborhood across town to see how beautiful their gardens are.

Little changes can help break habits that no longer serve us well and allow us to look at our lives with fresh eyes.

Thank you for returning to The 51% Project blog!  Your support and encouragement is appreciated.  If you use Facebook - please visit our page there and click on our favorite links to find other sources of inspiration and happy making.  There are many people and organizations out there who share our mission to tip the scales for MASS HAPPINESS - see what they're up to, you'll be delighted we're sure.

What Do You Stand For?

I think somehow we learn who we really are
and then live with that decision.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Growth and accomplishment, meeting challenges and goals has always been important to me as a means of measuring my own success. Being perceived as good at what I do is important to my self esteem. Most of my life I have felt driven to do what was necessary to win. However, sometimes in my zeal to be accomplished, I haven’t spoken from my heart. When I replay those conversations in my head I always ask myself “why didn’t I just say what I really thought?”

We started The 51% Project to share lessons learned on the path to creating joyful lives. One of these lessons is how important it is to identify what we stand for, it’s crucial to being authentic and speaking our truth. It simplifies relationships and keeps us tuned in to our best self.

After cleaning my windows this week I was delighted by the small details outside that I’d missed looking through rain spots. Similarly, I’ve found that identifying what I stand for and speaking from my heart has removed debris and heaviness from my mind. I’m able to notice and enjoy the happy details of my life. My life is less complicated and I’m so much more joyful.

Life is full of choices about how to react to our families, our neighbors, co-workers, and strangers in the market. Responding with kindness and honesty is simple when my mind is clear of the clutter and debris of not living and speaking authentically. Living a happy life, in many cases, means living a more simple life, and being authentic about my feelings simplifies my life.

Life is supposed to be fun! Live simply, live in honesty, live in joy, live authentically

Susan: This weekend we’re celebrating my Mom’s 98th birthday and the entire family will be with us at our home. It will be a perfect opportunity for me to practice authenticity and joyful expression.

Dorothy: One of our new Facebook friends, you can find their link on The 51% Project page, is an organization called The Good Week. They have designated next week, June 20 – 26, a week in which to focus our individual and collective good out into the world. I encourage you to check out their Facebook page or website. And, I hope you’ll join them in their quest. Imagine the outcome if we all (6,897,588,739 at this writing) do one extra good deed, offer one extra word of kindness, think one extra good thought, every day next week. We are the world and when we choose to make a difference – we can! Good luck to the The Good Week project!!!!


Happy Father’s Day to all Dad’s out there!
Susan and Dorothy

Taking Off the Blinders

Acceptance is seeing with your heart,

Not with your eyes.

Anon

The quote above hangs outside my grandson’s 3^rd grade classroom.  What a great piece of wisdom for a young mind to catch each day.

I’ve talked with my grandson, as have his parents, about this quote and about bullying and doing the right thing - even when it’s the hard thing and about using words rather than fists to settle disputes. I suspect you, too, have shared some similar insights with the children in your life. I know educators do the same. I can’t remember if there was such a focus on all this when I was in grade school, but I also can’t remember any Columbines or Virginia Techs.

How did we come to a place in time where children kill themselves because of slanderous “posts” or “tweets,” and kill each other because their pain is too big to contain, where the elimination of prejudice seems to be going backwards not forward, where our government is tied up in time wasting power plays, where being the top dog means more than being the good dog?  We seem to have misplaced our knowing and have disregarded our connection to, and need of, one another.

We have forgotten that whether we’re a type A or B employee, a teenager insisting on wearing a snow cap all year long – inside and out, an overweight mom, a husband who prefers TV to dance class, we have, every one of us, the same basic desires:  to support our physiological needs with access to clean air, clean water, fresh food and basic healthcare, to be safe and secure where we live, work, play, and socialize, to belong and be loved by family and friends, to experience esteem through respect of ourselves and others, and to achieve a purposeful life.

And, we seem to have forgotten that every one of us, whatever the color of our skin, our religion, our sexual preference, our ethnic origins; whether we’re rich, poor, fat, slim, brilliant or average, is born into this word with just one emotion, love.  Everything else is learned.  Courage, integrity, honesty, patience, tolerance and right action are taught values.  As are, hatred, greed, cruelty, and bullying.  Every act, word, interaction we engage in is a lesson.  Nothing we do or say goes unnoticed. 

So, we must, every one of us, remember that we are teachers to not only our children but also to our partners on this earth and take responsibility, everyday, in every way to do the right thing and to be intolerant, not of people, but of ignorance and injustice. 

The capacity to bring about change is not just in the hearts of a few…it’s in every one of us.

The video below was the inspiration for today’s post.  I hope the music and images touch and inspire you as much as they did me. Enjoy!

Namaste -

Dorothy

 

 

Dorothy:  As the school year comes to an end, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of my grandson’s 3^rd grade teacher.  Her commitment, joy, patience, and love made this an amazing year for all of us!  Kudos, as well, to the rest of the remarkable men and women who dedicate their lives to the children who hold our future in their hearts and minds.  I am forever grateful to all the teachers…both paid and unpaid…who have, and continue to grace my life.  I am better for all your lessons.

Susan:   Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers that have come into my life and the lives of my family.  Each of you has had a profoundly positive impact.

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What Makes You Happiest?

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
- Charles Kingsley

The 51% Project is all about finding joy and happiness in our lives, and passing on those gifts to everyone we meet. Making the choice to be happy is a personal choice, but so very important.

When I was talking about The 51% Project with some friends this past weekend, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a another friend recently. As I explained the concept of changing your perspective to think positively just 1% more than you did yesterday, my friend exclaimed “Oh! Of course, you just need to choose to put forward 1% more effort to be happier. Happiness is a choice.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, thank you Pat!

Being in a happy frame of mind helps me simplify my thinking and, therefore, my life. I find that it’s very helpful to make lists of the things that make me happy. Creating the lists, and referring to them later, makes me feel wonderful. To get started, I like to sit quietly, breath deeply and then begin writing as things that make me happy come to mind. I carry a small notebook with me so I can make these lists wherever I happen to be.

Here are some of things on my happiness list. What Makes You Happy?

Watching the sunrise when the sky is pink and the breeze is soft
Walking in the forest hearing the leaves crunch beneath my feet
Playing with my cats
Skiing with friends
Laughing with friends
Enjoying a wonderful meal with family and friends
Driving through a beautiful landscape on a bright, sunny day
Trying a new flavor or ice cream
Finding the perfect pair of shoes
Finding the perfect outfit to go with the perfect shoes
Sitting on a beach laughing with friends
Skiing in soft snow on a blue bird day
Making lists of things that make me happy
Being in love
Being with good friends and people who live happy lives
Exploring new places
Feeling the warm breeze on my skin
Beautiful flowers
Happy conversations
Coffee with friends
Writing in my intention journal
Getting to know new people
Hearing about their interesting lives
Walking into a just cleaned house
The smell of pine trees in the forest

Writing these lists is a wonderful exercise that never fails to make me feel happy and inspired, grateful for all of the goodness in my life. We encourage you to try making your own lists and hope that they inspire you as well. We wish you all a wonderful week full of inspiration and joyful encounters.

Susan and Dorothy

Susan: I’ve been spending time getting our outdoor furniture spruced up for summer and have found that the repetitive nature of sanding, staining, and painting has given me clear space to clean out the cobwebs in my mind, reminding myself to keep what feels good and discard what isn’t useful. I’m clearing the clutter of my mind and it is enriching.

Dorothy: Here are some things from my happiness list:

My grandson’s face
My family around the dinner table
Friends who still matter, in spite of the years and miles that separate us
Petting the soft part of a dog’s ear
Mountain Bluebirds
The smell of the ocean
Children singing
Remembering my parents’ voices
The desert after a rainstorm
The words “I love you”

Thank you for your support and encouragement, we truly appreciate your comments! Join us on The 51% Project Facebook page.