Hello, Beautiful Sharon,

Do you wait for a birthday, holiday, or special occasion to feel loved, to create something special, or to give yourself permission to enjoy life? Can you have a special day visiting your mom in a nursing home, shopping for groceries, at your job?

Today is my birthday, and I’m doing my best to make it a joyful day.

So far this morning I treated myself to yoga at the local gym, explored a new spot along the river and took time to take  pictures of spring flowers and interesting rock formations, then I took time to make my favorite lentil dish, healthy and so yummy. But best of all, I savored and appreciated all the moments.

But I don’t want adventure, playfulness, joy, or self-care to belong only to birthdays.

I want to show up for myself every day-holidays, work days, cleaning days, tax days ...

Research in Positive Psychology shows that people are happier when they create moments of meaning in ordinary days instead of depending too much on outside events, other people’s attention, or life going a certain way.

It’s interesting to me how much meaning we can place on one day. We often ask, What are you doing for your birthday? As if one day has to carry extra weight, prove something, or measure how loved or fulfilled we are.

Last weekend I worked on my taxes. In the past I often had a bad attitude about it, but I made a conscious choice to make the best of the day.

I listened to an audiobook while I crunched numbers, took yoga stretch breaks, went for a long hike, and any time a bad attitude started to creep in, I reminded myself: feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t help. Look for thoughts that keep you uplifted.

I was delighted at how much I enjoyed my day.

Since I work from home and live in a beautiful place, I try to take advantage of the resources and freedoms I have during my work week.

I might take what I call mini vacations. I might take a few hours to go exploring a new part of the river, or to discover a new hiking trail. Or take advantage of a few hours in-between sessions to cook one of my favorite lentil dishes.

Small daily choices matter! A beautiful life is not built on a few special days. It is built in how you live your moments. 

I invite you to explore how you can enjoy your journey of life even more.