I want to get so excited for summer! It used to be the highlight of my year when I was a kid... looking forward to summer. It can be such an exciting time to change seasons and make a fresh start and enjoy the benefits of a different season. The fresh fruit... yummm watermelons, warm sunny weather, shorts, water sports. -
But I keep sitting around feeling sorry for myself and dreading doing things that might be a little challenging or difficult or just not fun.
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I am usually one to have a great attitude and have lived all these sayings until they are running through my blood... "be willing and able"," jump into things with both feet", "the more the merrier"," many hands make light work"," first we work then we get to play".
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But lately I am pouting and stomping my foot, and complaining about everything.
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Who have I turned into???
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I talked with a colleague about a motivational meeting he attended this past week, and he said the speaker challenged them to go 21 days without complaining. She gave him a wrist band to wear, and if he found himself complaining, he would have to move it to the other wrist and start the 21 days over again. It was day 2 for him and I asked how he was doing... he said he had moved the wrist band 42 times already! But he was conciously working on it!!
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I think we live the life we choose. We can make a choice to be happy!
-I challenged my family with the non-complaining and I am not doing very well so far, as a matter of fact I am doing so badly at it, that I don't even know how they are doing, all it has done is brought to focus what a grouch I really am!
I don't want to be OSCAR THE GROUCH anymore!!!!
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So I am starting with a different focus to help me get excited about summer...
I made a list of 50 things I want to do this summer.
-It was a quick list I threw together, and I might find some more meaningful things to put on it as I go, but I had to start somewhere! And get excited and have something to work on, focus on, and look forward to.
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50 Things I want to do this summer…
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1. Have a picnic and invite another family.
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1. Have a picnic and invite another family.
2. Go on a walk and take pictures of trees, flowers, dogs, etc.
3. Have a garage sale.
4. Go for a bike ride.
5. Volunteer at the local animal shelter or library.
6. Clean under the bed!
7. Bake some cupcakes and deliver them to friends for Family Night treat.
8. Have a game night with friends.
9. Take the dogs for a walk.
10. E-mail/write a friend I haven't spoken to in awhile.
11. Practice my calligraphy
12. Look through old family scrapbooks, photo books, and yearbooks.
13. Make a root beer float.
14. Go to the movies on the last day of school with Jacob.
15. Go window-shopping Downtown.
16. Send a package to the missionary.
17. Can tomatoes/spaghetti sauce/fruit.
18. Give the dogs a bath.
19. BBQ dinner on the grill.
20. Go to the $1 movie on Tuesdays for a lunch/dinner date.
21. Have a slumber party in the living room and watch movies and eat pizza and popcorn.
21. Have a slumber party in the living room and watch movies and eat pizza and popcorn.
22. Plan a vacation we want to take next summer.
23. Plant grass seed in the bare patches in the yard.
24. Sign up for a class, and learn something new.
25. Have a bubble bath and do pedicures on each other with Jim.
26. Make a mixed CD of my favorite songs "The soundtrack of my life".
27. Get a shaved ice.
28. Take BBQ and salads to the farm at Scott and Jodi’s and shoot archery.
29. Color in a coloring book.
30. Read a book based on a movie I have seen.
31. Make a scrapbook of Jacob’s Halloween pictures.
32. Have a craft day with Aunt Fay.
33. Write in my journal everyday.
34. Spend the day at the library.
35. Draw or paint a picture.
36. Make a collage out of old magazines.
37. Run around in the sprinklers.
38. Go to a Basque museum.
39. Go out for lunch with a friend.
40. Go swimming at the pool
41. Take Jim to PF Changs.
42. Make something on the sewing machine.
43. Invite friends over and have a cold drink blender party.
44. Swing on the swings at the park.
45. Tie-Dye a t-shirt or bed sheets with Kool-Aid!
46. Make smoothies.
47. Learn how to define and spell 5 new words from the dictionary.
48. Make homemade ice cream.
49. Put on the radio and dance.
50. Camp out in the backyard!
7 comments:
Now... in order to do these things what has to happen? Do you need more help with the chores? Which ones do you really want Jim or Jacob to participate in? What are the 50 things Jim and Jacob want to do? Will you feel great if you accomplish 10? Remember what Diane Stein says, "If you expect others to do something, you have to be specific and ask them." We all choose to be happy. Sometimes it is just harder than others. I'm not sure why. When I look at others around the world I have few problems. If they were in my place they would be jubilant. Somehow I can't draw happiness from that. I'm going to need to pray on this. What is happy?
I want to help with number 21!!!
The slumber party we had last year was a blast and I am looking forward to doing it again!!
((((HUGGGGGS))))
Okay sis... In order to do these things I probably just have to come out of my self induced comma I have been in all winter. Help with chores is always a good thing... but I am trying to come to the realization that certain things are just important to me and not anyone else... so I should just do them to make me happy. And also trying to just pull my own weight, and try not to expect too much from anyone but myself.
If I need the boys to chip in more, your right I just have to ask them... usually they are pretty good (well certainly once I have the hubby on board he helps the teenager come to terms). I probably complain more (see there I go)than it is an actual burden (I am working on that part too).
I thought the list of 50 would mostly just help my perspective and attitude. So we will see... I already thought of something to add or change on it... the zoo!
So no I won't be dissappointed if I don't get all 50 done... 10 is very doable. That's why I kept them simple. But I didn't want the entire summer to go by and me with my head down working or just busy all day everyday and not take time consiously to slow down and smell the roses, or drink the rootbeer float or whatever, and look up in September and say "where did another summer go?".
So this is me, just trying to work on me.
The big question... what is Happy? I totally believe it is different for everyone. So we can't spend one moment looking at how green it looks on the other side of the fence... that I know for sure. I think if we are quiet enough to listen, we can feel happiness. When it feels right, it's happy, when it feels awkward or uneasy, it is not, or if I am having to make it fit but everyone around me is digging their feet in! When I am really really quiet and I can hear it... it brings tears to my eyes. So then I know I am happy. Tears of Joy. Or sometimes I just get "happy feet" like I want to jump up and down!
That is happy too!
The key for me will be figuring out what things to put in my head and my heart and in my hands to do that give me those feelings. I think I can chose them. Therefore chose to be happy. I think I can.
That sounds like a GREAT summer! I hope you get to do all those fun things or at least most of them. I just LOVE eating watermelon in the summer! Yesterday my mom and I went to get some plants for our garden. My dad already put in raspberries and tomatoes and we got 3 articoke plants, 1 zukini plant, and 1 WATERMELON PLANT!!!
I am so excited for them to grow. We also got some seeds for, squash, green beans, basil,and some sunflower seeds for me!
*Chloe*
Chloe, that is an ambitious garden!
I wish I had all that good stuff coming up in mine!!
I love love love watermelon too, I could eat it until I explode!
Panda ~ I will be sure and save the slumber party til the girls get here in Sept! Or have two!!
Great idea! I think I am going to make one of these lists for myself...
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