life unfolds as is, in every moment

< My first rock jump in Hawaii. It was pretty freaking awesome! >

I started this blog almost two years ago. As time passes, I notice changes within me, and realize more and more how important it is for me to keep changing and growing. I started this blog during a time in my life when I thought I needed to be grounded within myself. Life was up and down as is life. I was trying to put into practice living in moments, and learning from pain. I look back on my first handful of entries as the spark that started it all.

In light of the start of my blog, I am doing my own Happiness Project interview (and because I’ve always wanted to).  I still follow the Happiness Project (see my blog roll to get caught up), and am in no means taking any credit. I am in total loyalty to the Happiness Project, and Gretchen.

Without anymore delay, my interview:

What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier? 
Me: Listening to my old playlists that are mostly made up of songs that are marked memories in my heart, or are 90′s feel good songs. I get really attached to songs, it feels like there are songs that are just made for that time and place in my life.

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
That it’s all up to me. There are moments when I can bask in my own self reflection of how great life is, and its easy to see that you are the master of your universe. Then there are times when it’s tough, and seeing through it can be a process. I realize now that I am the one standing in the moment, and choosing. I don’t have to be broken, afterall.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?
Being lazy- I know I should be more active, and I want to be. I just can’t motivate myself sometimes. It’s something I am working on.

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful? (e.g., I remind myself to “Be Gretchen.”)
An old friend once told me that “the sweet aint as sweet without the bitter”, and it’s has stuck with me. I think about it when times are tough, and it reminds me to be grateful for the moment, for the experience. It reminds me of the only value in this life – people. Everything else is ever-changing, but it’s the moment with the person/people that really stays with you.

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost?
I give myself a break. I am usually very hard on myself, am impatient with myself. So, when something feels off, I usually give myself time. I lay, or take a walk, or just sit for a bit. Sometimes my body and emotions processes things faster than my mind, and I have to wait to connect them. Once I figure out what’s making me feel fussy, I can remedy it.

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness? When I see art work, whether it’s a photo, painting, a writing piece, I am touched by it. It reminds me that I am looking at a reproduction of happiness from someone. It doesn’t have to be happiness in the form of joy, but what I mean is that those people are connected to their talents, and are fortunate to be able to act in their happiness, in the most obvious and simple form.

Have you always felt about the same level of happiness, or have you been through through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy – if so, why? If you were unhappy, how did you become happier?
I realize now more than ever that happiness is a mindset. That said, I would say that I’ve been happy and unhappy everyday, therefore I would put my happiness level at the medium. It goes up and down in moments as i experience the everyday norms, and the unexpected. There are moments that are marked more than others but for the most part, I try to be mindful with all of them. It helps to stay grounded, i think.

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t – or vice versa? 
As i grow older, I want to connect more with my mother. I’ve always thought that our relationship would be stunted forever, but I realize how much it makes me happy to talk with her sometimes. Maybe it’s the age thing, as I mature more,  I can understand her more as a person and as my mother.  It helps put things into perspective.