Gratitude Attitude

As I’m thinking of my positive thoughts this morning (click here for post about morning thoughts) I realize that most of my positive thoughts center on gratitude. How I am thankful for the many blessings in my life.   As I tried to come up with my “small positive thought” my thoughts kept coming going to things such as: “I’m thankful for the fact I have electricity”, “I am thankful my neck is barely stiff,” or “I’m thankful I woke up when I did or I’d be late” (that last one because I’d slept through the alarm clock).

There is nothing wrong with this. Recognizing the blessings, big and small, and being grateful for them is an awesome thing. We take many blessings for granted. Running water, clean water, electricity, food, a roof over our head, a bed to sleep on, etc. are all things that I am thankful for because there are people in this world who are not so fortunate. I was born privileged enough to live where I have these things. I am grateful for them and will not take them for granted.

I believe people who grateful are generally positive people. So positivity and gratitude go hand in hand. It’s hard to be a negative person if you realize how blessed you are. Counter negativity with gratitude.

And you are blessed, no matter who you are. There are blessings in your life. Find them and focus on them and not the negatives. No one has ever claimed to feel better after dwelling on the negatives of their lives. It won’t always be easy but the end result is a happier life.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Squirrel Rescue!

Yesterday Daddy saved a squirrel. While he was at my house he saw a big squirrel attacking a small squirrel. He ran over there, running off the big mean squirrel. The small one was too weak to climb the tree so my dad, the softy, could leave the injured squirrel so he grabbed an old pet carrier I had and herded the hurt squirrel into it. Later he found another victim of the same brutal attack MO as the one he rescued but it was already dead. I think I have a serial killer squirrel.

Anyways Daddy took the squirrel home where he peeled some acorns and put them in the carrier while Moma put in an old towel and a small bowl of water. They’re so dang sweet. I sure love my soft family who are trying to help a poor baby squirrel. Mom and Aunt Dorothy were determined not to get attached and refused to name the squirrel.

Today I went over to my parents and tried to help take care of the squirrel. I asked Moma if I could use some of her frozen peeled pecans (yep she’s a softy) she said yes. So I warmed them in my hands and then Moma put it in the carrier. The squirrel was one happy squirrel but he wouldn’t really turn around. Mom said yesterday he was chatty and moving around more. I figure he’s a bit sorer today.  He actually favored his left side and had trouble staying upright without falling over on his left side without some support. Poor sweet baby.

So he finishes that piece and I shove in another piece. Now remember this is a wild squirrel so I am concerned about it biting. The squirrel doesn’t move toward the piece of pecan so I shove it closer in and suddenly the squirrel pounces on it. My mom was laughing so hard as I jerked my hand out moving faster than was dignified. It was pretty funny. We fed him another piece and he would take it from our hands now. Then he spilled the bowl of water so Mom bravely reached in and pulled him out so I could clean he carrier.

And I was a goner! After I cleaned out the carrier I reached out and the squirrel let me take him. I snuggled him (while Mom’s dog is having fits because hello she’s the center of the universe what the heck are we doing loving on another animal). He eventually decided to go down my dress. He tried going in my cleavage but quickly realized that was too tight a squeeze so settled for going in my dress and snuggling in the pocket between my bra and the high waist band.

There is stayed for a while. It came out for a little while and ate another piece of pecan. Aunt Dorothy and Daddy arrived home and Aunt Dorothy held it for a bit then I held out another pecan but it climbed back onto me and right back into its little snuggle spot. Yeah I’ve gone sweet on the squirrel. However I do not want a pet squirrel. I am not in a place in my life where a pet is something I can have so no pet squirrel! I hated to disturb him but I did have to eventually go home so I gave him to Aunt Dorothy.

My aunt found someone who will take care of it.  Although I am all about letting it go back into the wild, hurt like it is, it won’t survive. The person taking the squirrel is homebound and it seems like a good match. I am happy he’s going to a good home.

I have video of him climbing down my dress but no, I will not post it here. Not that I’m ashamed of it but I certainly don’t want a video of a squirrel going down my dress somehow going viral. While I doubt that would happen, I will not chance it. 😀 I also have some pictures of him snuggled in his spot but again not really something that should be shared on the internet. However I have to share some of the cuteness so enjoy!

 

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Morning thoughts

 

The next step in reaching this better joyful me is to try to start my day with a positive thought. The picture above is going to be printed and hung where I will see it every morning. This will remind me to make sure to find a positive thought every morning.

I am not a morning person. As a night owl I would much rather stay up all night and sleep most the day away. However I do not live a lifestyle that allows that so I have to wake up in the morning. Although I am not a morning person I can wake up rather chatty, especially on vacation. It can be annoying so I’ve been told. *giggle* However daily I do not wake up chatty. I live by myself so I do not speak with anyone until I get to work. So I have time to “decide” on my mood.

My moods can vary from Grumpy to Tigger in the mornings (okay, okay sometimes all day).   Typically whatever mood I am in, in the morning, is the mood I stay in most the day. I have been working on my attitude. Attempting to get rid of those negative moments in my life where everyone is on my nerves for breathing at the very least. I think it is working.

I am hoping that the picture will remind me to find that positive when I wake up feeling like crap, tired, grumpy, sad, etc. We all need a push toward the positive sometimes. I believe a push towards the positive every morning will enhance my ability to fight off the negative days. It’s an experiment I am going to try. Take the time every morning to focus on one positive thought can only help one find the joy in life. I plan to embrace that positive and find my joy.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Think positive

I usually say what you put out in the universe you will receive.  If you put out negative then you get negative.  If you put out positive you get positive.   I try to do this.  I often correct people when they say maybe, telling them to not give any doubt, say it positively.  If you leave no room for negativity then you’ll find that more often than not things go your way.  And when they don’t then you have to say to yourself something positive such as there are better things to be had, something better will come my way, etc.

I am often called lucky by friends and family because I win contests often.  Not ones that take skill, just ones you enter and randomly get drawn.  I feel I win because I put positivity out there.  I assume I will win.  I don’t always but I do often enough to call myself lucky.  My aunt and I were entered into some drawings at a con and she said, “I never win anything.”  I told her not with that attitude.  To think positive put it out there and see what happened.  Told her to think I’m going to win something.   She laughed at me but she did and guess what she won two of the prizes!

I am not perfect and yes I have my negative days but mostly I try to live by this philosophy.  This attitude, frame of mind, belief, whatever you want to name it has helped me live a more joyful life.  It makes the world a better place for me.  If you don’t think this way, try it and see how the world changes for you.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Dancing is Joy

I love to dance. It is honestly one of my favorite things to do but I rarely get to do it anymore except inside my home where no one will see. Tonight some friends and I are going to watch a band and there will be dancing. We used do this more often until we couldn’t find a place that wasn’t overly crowded that played good dancing music. Now the only time we get to dance is if we are on vacation. But a band we used to love is playing again locally and so we are going to go listen to them play and we’re going to dance!

Dancing is joy. People don’t usually stand still in joy. We dance for joy. We do the happy dance.

So tonight I will be dancing. It won’t be pretty but man it will be fun! I am more excited than I have been in a while about going out and about. I’m going to put on my dancing shoes.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Visiting with an older generation

The elderly are often lonely.  I mentioned this before.   We’re busy and they’re slowing down.  They’re losing and have lost friends so their pool of people to talk to keeps shrinking.  When I worked with a pharmacy store before the elderly would often stop by to talk to me.  They’d stand there and talk for a while because someone was listening.  You could hear the loneliness in their voice often.  I was suppose to be working and I would work a little but mostly I focused on them.  And even when I was doing my job I would make sure they knew I WAS listening by commenting in a way that let them know I was hearing them not just nodding politely.  They always left with a smile.  No one ever gave me a hard time about this.  I don’t know if they never noticed or if they just realized that it was helpful to their customers.

I have another friend, who is in her seventies but you’d never know it, who goes and visits with people in what she calls “old folks home”.  She started visiting friends but she says she visits others because they’re all so lonely.  She always encourages me to do this too.  I have good intentions but as of yet I have not made it.  I am ashamed that I haven’t.  Again too “busy”, too wrapped up in my own life.  I believe a visit will increase my joy and the joy of others so I am going to make the time.  I challenge you to do the same.

Older people have wonderful stories to tell us.  Yes perhaps some of their ideals seem old fashion, perhaps they’re a little slow, and so forth but they’ve lived so many years.  The history they have will be gone if we don’t take the time to listen to them before they go.

The link to a video below both breaks my heart and warms it.  Watch it and perhaps you’ll be inspired to go to a nursing or retirement home and visit or perhaps just visit a neighbor.

WWII Vet & Preschooler

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/land-of-10000-stories/2014/09/11/erling-kindem-emmett-rychner-wwii-veteran-preschooler/15464193/

 

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

 

PS this post was late because I took a “nap” at 8:30pm and woke up after midnight.  Oops.  Guess that was a bit more than a nap. o.O HEHEHE

One Month

Today makes one full month of blog entries! They say that 21 days makes a habit but I am not going to lie, this is harder than I thought it would be. It’s not that my life is negative or that I’ve had that many bad days, it’s just really hard to come up with something positive that is blog worthy. I am not always positive but usually I can come up with something positive during my day, so I thought this would be an easier task than it has been. I mean I might have a great day but nothing to really write about. What makes brings me joy is a lot of the same things, every day. So it is hard to come up with a blog topic, more often than not.

I am proud of the accomplishment of a blog entry a day. Yet the blog isn’t exactly what I had hoped it would be. I wanted a positive message out there daily. Sometimes it’s just a quick entry of the fun I’m having. That is okay honestly, because if this blog interferes with my personal interactions with my friends and family then it’s not going to bring me joy. But days when I am not off spending time with others, I am still not always really reaching my goal. I will endeavor to try to make my blog a bit more of what I’d originally envisioned. I do not promise to do so but I will try. After all this blog is supposed to bring me joy, as it is about joy, and if it becomes more work than fun then it’s defeating the purpose.

Overall the blog is doing its job though. This month of blogging though has been a wonderful month. I have enjoyed this daily search for a positive topic. It does make me look at the world a bit different and helps me focus on the positive even more. In looking for a blog topic, I am constantly looking for a positive. And when I catch myself having a negative moment, it’s easier to remind myself to find my joy. My signature closing is a mantra I have truly embraced.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

Riches

Sometimes a picture says it all.

Time

Just a reminder that time here is indefinite.  Make sure those you love know you love them.  Today a friend is in the hospital.  She is waiting results to see if she had a heart attack.  We’re only in our 40s and sometimes I still think like I have all the time in the world.  We don’t necessarily have any time.  My father had a heart attack and bypass surgery at the young age of 46.  It’s scary.

I haven’t seen my friend in a while.  Been busy.  We both have.  But I need to make time to see her.  Because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.  I am praying that it isn’t a heart attack.  I’m praying that it is something small.  I’m praying for her to be healed.  It was a reminder that I need to be more diligent in my friendships.  I’ve been trying to do those little “hey I’m thinking about you” moments.  But this is a wake up call that sometimes you need to make time to just call or go see a person.

Please pray for my friend’s healing. And remember…

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy

 

Just a cake

Sometimes it’s just feels good to do a little something for someone else. Today I cooked a cake for my friend for his birthday. Nothing major but it was fun. After dinner and cake we sat and visited. It was a good day.   Sometimes it’s the little things that make me happy.

Find your joy and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Missy