My life has become a Disney song

Just the other afternoon I said to someone “How can I write about happiness when I am struggling to maintain it”?
I guess it was a rhetorical question. In any case, my friend didn’t answer me. It’s a bit of a tricky one to answer after all.
What I am learning is that happiness is something that evolves and it certainly isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ type of achievement.
I’m also learning little lessons that I am writing in my book.
Maybe that is the reason for my struggle.

The little bird with the big voice

This past week has been Bird Week here in my part of Australia and twitchers, birders, birdwatchers and ornithologists all over have been out and about identifying and recording bird calls and sightings to go into a national count. Run by the group Birds in Backyards,  even amateur bird lovers such as myself are encouraged to download the app and sit in their back yard and listen and watch for 20 minutes whilst recording the number and species of birds that they observe. This enables the group to compile a report on the changing habitats and habits of our little feathered friends.
So the past week has seen me with phone and field guide in hand ambling around my garden or seated in our outdoor entertainment area observing.

Happiness Tip #1

Tell others you love them

On a Sunday afternoon in July 2009 I was pottering around my home when the telephone rang. Picking it up, I heard “Hi Sis”.
It was the voice of Peter, my baby brother calling from his hospital bed.
Although Peter had been ‘through the mill’ health-wise over the years, battling leukaemia and GVH (graft versus host disease) after a life saving bone marrow transplant, he had been admitted to hospital a couple of days earlier as a precautionary measure following a routine visit to his oncologist. In the days prior, Peter had been knocked low with the ‘flu and his blood work didn’t look too good so he was now found himself occupying a hospital bed.

I have a dream…

I’ve had it for a while.  The dream I mean.
You know the one? The dream of writing a book.
The words are there inside me, tumbling over and over in my mind. It’s like a tiny little alien predator just waiting to break forth some days.
I’ve wavered about what to write. I’ve picked up one idea, examined it and then discarded it for another. I have jotted ideas and notes in notebooks laying all over the house but struggle to find EXACTLY what it is that I want to share with the world.

Striking a Balance

You may have noticed my presence is slightly sporadic right now. You have my apologies. The truth is that I am working to find that balance between home, study, work and blogging. My study has taken a back seat this week whilst I learn my new job and unfortunately so has my blogging. I am coming in the door each afternoon mentally fatigued. I have fired up the computer with the intention of reading blogs, writing a post or working on my research project but generally get very little done. 😳 Right now, all is ok in our lives. There are some adjustments to be made by everyone. I have had to start working to a schedule again and that’s a lot of fun (spoken with my tongue firmly in my cheek). But you know what? Life is good. Each day is filled with gratitude and beauty. I am blessed. I trust that your days are also filled with joy, love, beauty and blessings also.

Tuesday’s Quote

Whilst going through my photos taken of the netball game that my granddaughters played in a couple of weeks ago, I came across this shot.
This is my oldest granddaughter and the photo was taken before the game began.
I have no idea of what song may have been playing in her head or what she was thinking, but I love that she appears to be dancing to her own beat out there.

Friday Check-in

What a week it has been so far. I have found that scheduling my posts appears to be working well because I am seldom at my computer for the reason of reading blogs, commenting and writing my own posts right now.
I have a weekend workshop coming up in a couple of weeks (as part of my studies) and I have a heap of prereading, webinars to attend and assessments to complete before I get there. This is limiting my time for the fun stuff – like reading blogs. 😉

Happiness is…..

Joey at Joeyfullystated did a post last week (after she was tagged to do so) about happiness. I loved Joey’s approach to this in breaking it into sections. I also loved the things that make her happy. She sounds like a pretty alright-kind-of lady to me. 🙂
Joey broke her happiness post down into things that bring/brought her joy, bliss, happiness and contentment. I think that this was an awesome idea and so I’m going to follow suit.