my daily dose of happy

Let's face it. Sometimes your normally uneventful (boring) life straight-up sucks for one reason or another... Unless you're one of those people who can weather any storm without anything phasing you. (What are you taking and where can I get some?)

About a year ago I stumbled across this picture which kept me laughing out loud ALL DAY:

I made it my background and giggled every time I closed a window, revealing these four little faces.

When friends of mine at work were having a bad day, I would send them one or two similar pictures, hoping to brighten their days. Then when I had a bad day, or needed a brain break from work, I'd look up some new ones.

It became a daily process very quickly.

The first time I sent out three pictures to all of my co-worker friends, I called it:

my daily dose of happy

and it stuck.

I started sending three pictures every morning as soon as I got to work. I set down my purse, get a cup of coffee or tea, then open my email...
Before I open anything new or allow one iota of stress or anxiety into my head- I find an email with pictures that suit my mood and make me smile. (For me, it's like taking an instant anti-depressant, but it's free and doesn't require a prescription!)

Periodically, throughout the day, I open my Sent Items folder to look them over again. An even though I've seen the same pictures earlier that morning, this simple act brightens my day. Even if it's just for a minute.

What I'm doing at that moment is I make a conscious decision to change my perspective. Some days it's more difficult than others. For instance if I've just gone through a break-up or (like recently) lost a friend to cancer, you most likely won't see me smiling over the cubicle wall. But on those days, I just need to see something silly and fun to remind myself that pain is temporary and you can't take life too seriously...at least...not if you want to be happy.

I honestly believe that the key to happiness is actually just whatever it takes for us to unlock the vault where adults keep their inner child hidden. Every once in a while, we all need to giggle. We need to see or do something silly and revel in its weirdness. Embrace, for just a moment, a carefree feeling and forget how you should act at your age.

Open that vault, once a day, for 30 seconds.

For me, it's looking at silly animal memes. For you, it may be balancing a spoon on your nose or making noises into a rotating fan.

You might feel absolutely ridiculous. Maybe you'll really love the feeling. It might even take a while for you to find a daily practice that you like, but I promise anything silly will do. Give it 30 days and then re-assess what you think about this exercise.

I am optimistic of the outcome.