Sisters Marie: Happiness in 3 Words

“To be happy, it’s not necessary to expend great effort so we get somewhere else. Instead, relax into the present moment while finding humor in your life. With humor, life becomes light and leisurely. And laughter always brings people to experience openness and joy.” - Current read

If you think about it, true moments of happiness don’t require much. Outside of the obvious staples (my Family and friends), I require just a few simple things to experience joy: Sunshine, warm weather, being outdoors (and bonus, a perfectly made iced coffee). Not too much to ask, right? Then how come it seems our generation, me included, focuses all our energy on having it all? Whether it’s having an endless wardrobe, unique travel plans every weekend, an HGTV style home or many times, all of the above, we often seem to lose sight of what we already have.

As big of a role as social media plays in my life (both for work and play), I also have negative feelings towards it which come in waves. I think it's the main suspect in our negative feelings if our lives don’t match up to the images portrayed in perfectly curated feeds of squares. It’s easy to forget that these are just fleeting moments of people’s lives – Between your friends last perfect blow out and trip to some exotic island, it’s very possible she lost a loved one or had a misstep in her career. It’s inevitable to experience moments of heartache, regret, sadness, jealousy and stress…it’s just that those moments often don’t make the cut for our internet lives.

Maybe this is currently on my mind because I’m just about to wrap up 13 Reasons Why and it’s been a good reflection of how much others actions have an impact on us. We share our lives with the public and hope to get validation from others, a sense of approval that we’re doing meets the standards of complete strangers. I’m being a bit hypocritical because I’m just another wheel that makes this cycle go round. But it’s funny if you think about it because like I said, real feelings of happiness are produced from so little. Suddenly, I am picturing the moment our car crosses over the Wisconsin state line to our lake house and we're driving through miles of open land with the windows down because the air smells so good. THAT is a real happiness moment and sometimes I wonder how much pressure and uneasiness would be alleviated if we all took a break from the mechanical scrolling through the “real” lives of others.

So, I challenge you to think: What are the first 3 things that come to mind when you think about what really makes you happy? You probably didn’t think of a pair of shoes or even a week in Europe. I’m willing to bet they were much more vanilla examples...like iced coffee ;)

Speaking of iced coffee, this beautiful Saturday filled with sunshine was one of my recent favorites. I spent the day with my Family, felt the warmth on my face and repeatedly said, "This day is amazing! I'm so happy!" -- Because it really is all about the little things (including a summer dress with enough stretch to get me through the next 2.5 months!)