A Few Of My Favorite Things

Like many good husbands, my hubby is very good about often saying those three words 😍 all wives love to hear: "Are you happy?" ☺And, he really waits for my answer, too.

One evening, after assuring him that I was very content, I went to bed 💤 thinking about it. If you get to spend life mostly doing what makes you happy, then the question is:  "What makes you happy?"

And, it made me ponder, "What does make me content when I get time to do them?

And, so I started making a list...📝

👈 This is where I wrote my Happy List!


👈 Doesn't the cover even make you
      happy???

What makes me happy?

• Being with Family
• Being with Friends
• Reading
• Genealogy
• Writing
• Photography
• Scrapbooking
• Libraries
• Learning New Things
• Travel ~ Near and Far
• Meeting New People
• Peaceful Country Life
• Walking on our Property
• Watching the Deer/Wildlife in General
• Fishing
• Learning to identify plants, animals, etc.
• Helping to make house & property take shape

My hubby is now working a different shift, and we don't get to spend as much time together. So, we cherish the time that we both have off work.

Even though the hubby is still asleep💤, this photo showcases how a recent day started. Hubby and CallieCat snuggled up to me, sleeping in late, and then reading a good book.

Snuggled under the covers with Hubby,
CallieCat and Grandma Gatewood

In beautiful weather, I just love spending time outdoors at our place. I love walking around our property, looking out for the wildlife. 🌳🌻🐾🐰🐸🍁🌼🍃

But, sometimes I don't need to go hunting for it. These two beauties flew in front of me, and then landed literally at my feet on our driveway!

Aren't these Eastern Tiger Swallowtails gorgeous?

Do you ever feel like someone is watching you? 👀 I looked up one night recently, and I caught Bob 🐸 watching me! 

Bob, the Tree Frog, Checking Up on Me!

Now, one of the last things on that list above is 👉 Learning to identify plants, animals, etc.

So, I am off to crack open the books (or websites) to discover if I am correct in my identification attempts for this post. 📚🔍📒

And remember to fit whatever makes you happy into the little and big moments! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Make your own Happy List 💞📋💞, and Live It Everyday!!

How Books Can Change Your Life!

I am a self-proclaimed bookworm, I can admit that! 📖📚📖

I am even a librarian in a small town library.

In fact, I love books and reading so much, you can still find me perusing the shelves of others of other libraries on my days off work.

A few days ago, I came across the book, You've Got to Read This Book by Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks.

Canfield and Hendricks asked invited notable people to share their story of how a book changed their life. I found most of the stories interesting, and even wrote down a few titles so far.

However, it was the story written by Bernie Siegel, M.D., that captivated my attention.

His opening paragraph explains so very well how books can change our lives. I couldn't have said it any better!

 ~  "To be honest, I really don't believe any book can change 

your life - only you can. Look, two people read the same 

book: One is inspired, while the other is bored. It's 

the person - not the book ~ that creates the transformation. 

That power lies within each of us. That said, I do believe 

that an author's insights, when combined with the 

reader's inspiration and desire to change, can lead to a 

new life for the reader." (p. 137)   ~

For Dr. Siegel, this book was The Human Comedy by William Saroyan. I have never read this book myself yet, but it has now been put on my must-read shelf.

Siegel describes the book as a coming-of-age tale that reminds us "to enjoy, to laugh, and to use our experience for growth, and for good." (Siegel)

And he goes on..."Saroyan says this beautifully in what to me are perhaps the most important words in his book:

William Saroyan quote

As a genealogist, I am constantly looking backwards at how my parents and other ancestors lived their lives. I look at how I should be living my life, and hope I am making a difference in this world.

This quote from Saroyan struck me like a lightning bolt! It not only describes my parents and grandparents, but gives me a look at what I also can pass on to my child.

👉 I also have a book that changed my life....  📕📖📕
       

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch was asked to give a Last Lecture as part of a lecture series on what they would like to present as a last lecture of their life. The ironic twist to Randy's lecture is that as he was planning his lecture, he discovered he had an incurable cancer.

His parting wisdom is  all about making a life, not just a living. He made everyday count and just enjoyed where life was leading him.

I had just started reading this book when my 79-year-old father became hospitalized with pneumonia. As his health declined, I was continuing to read and contemplate. I think my father had been content with his life and his place in it, much like Randy Pausch.

And just like Siegel describes above, reading Pausch's insights in The Last Lecture during my father's hospitalization and passing, provided the impetus for me to make some big life-altering changes in my life.

So, now, share with us, please:

~ What book has made a huge impact on your life?

Source:

• Canfield, Jack and Hendricks, Gay. You've Got to Read This Book!: Inspiring Stories about the Life-Changing Power of Books. HarperCollins, 2006, p.137-139.

• Pausch, Randy, and Jeffrey Zaslow. The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion, 2008.