Life isn't always perfect. We aren't always happy, and things don't always go as we hoped. However, we believe happiness is a choice, and we like to make it a verb that we act on. In this celebration episode, the whole Logsdon family shares how we navigate when we're sad or mad, and our punch list of 100 ways to "happy".
Let the emotions flow - feel what you need to, and then...LET IT GO.
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Life isn't always rosey
Not every moment is rainbows and unicorns.
And I’m the first to say our life is NOT perfect. We can get mad and sad and have crazy things happen that aren’t what we want or expect.
I post some of our trials on Instagram, with crazy RV mishaps and things our kids may do, but yeah, most of my pictures are happy.
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It’s in those beautiful moments I am reminded of all I want to cherish, all that gives me gratitude and all I want to be with my family. I love being able to snap a beautiful moment and look back and say, yes, even when everything went to hell in a hand basket and we were all fried, even on those “terrible horrible no good very bad days”...even then we can find a glimmer of light.
A sweet moment, noticing something small and perfect in nature, or simply pushing myself to wrack my brain for anything to be grateful for...I jump on those. To spread light to you, to me, and to my whole family. To reset my mind and remember the good in each and every day, and take me through any storms that come my way.
So yes, I’m happy to share the not so great. But know this- for me, sharing the light isn’t fake or hiding the “real” me; it’s showing you my choice each and every day- go find something to be grateful for. That’s what makes it all worthwhile and keeps my focus on the good.
A bad moment doesn't have to become a bad day.
We can always choose to wipe the slate clean and start over.
It's a time for Celebration!
15 years ago today I committed in front of a sea of friends and family to stand by Nathan for better or worse, in sickness and health, till death do us part. Like so many, that day is a blur of nerves and excitement - yet that promise I made that day...it wasn't simply stated once.
This is my every day. Today, I choose to love you, Nathan Gray Logsdon, in sickness and health, for better or worse, through whatever today brings us, I choose love. I choose to work WITH you as a team, to communicate clearly what I need and feel, and to be willing to step up and own my part in making a loving, lasting and healthy relationship.
I choose to reach out and touch you, to intentionally see all that I'm grateful for in you, and to let you know on a daily basis what I love about you. That wedding day may be a significant date for all things legally binding Nathan and me together, but every day since has been a significant moment for me to choose love. It's a verb, not a timestamp.
How do you choose love every day?
Follow us on our journey on Insta as
MamaSaysNamaste & the FieldTripGypsies!
What Can YOU do to add Light to this world?
Every day, look around and see what one person you can impact in a positive way. Smile. Give a compliment. Say hello. It can jar someone out of what's in their head and elicit a smile that goes beyond your own impact. It's a "pay it forward" approach, where smiling is contagious!
Allow for Privacy
Emotions are personal. Not everyone wants to broadcast it all out there. Sometimes it's solitude and creating space for a "reset" - to clean the slate and let go of the intense emotions.
Taking a walk in nature, solitude, journaling, creating art...these have all been ways our children have processed through their emotions.
Shake it or dance it out. Write a list of all the things you need to do and check them off (add easy ones for quick wins). Cook it out. Acknowledge your emotions. Sit with them. And then...choose to let them go.
100 Ways to Be Happy
We can get stuck lean toward negativity…sometimes it takes creating a list to remind you how grateful you are and how much you really have.
- Feel the ground under your feet
- Smile at a stranger
- Close your eyes and take in a deep breath
- Wake up early
- Get a full night’s sleep
- Laugh, laugh and laugh some more
- Be a joy-seeker
- Tell a joke
- Hug someone
- Hold hands
- Remind someone they are awesome
- Focus on your breath
- Play your favorite song
- Sing out loud
- Dance
- Play tag
- Eat a treat just because
- Go for a run
- Spend an afternoon playing
- Take a nap
- Hike in the woods
- Swing in a hammock
- Play at a playground
- Turn off the news
- Think of 5 things you’re grateful for
- Long, hot showers
- Caramel bedtime tea
- Instant pots
- Homemade kombucha and other brews
- Sitting around a campfire
- Playing with your pet
- Make an easy “to-do” list and check it off
- Finding that perfect outfit
- Finishing a craft/art project
- Family game night
- Family movie night
- Capturing that perfect picture
- Potting and/or planting plants
- Holding a newborn baby
- Swimming in the springs
- Building a blanket fort
- City Museum
- Running naked and free in the woods
- Snuggling in bed and sleeping in
- Building a waterproof lean-to
- Making fairy houses
- Playing in the mud
- Walking through leaves
- Baked goods straight out of the oven
- Eating warm brownies
- Playing hairdresser
- Organizing
- Helping someone else - go volunteer
- Seeing new local places
- Going to an animal sanctuary
- Explore a new trail
- Family bike ride
- Hiking the Appalachian trail
- Visiting a state you’ve never been to
- Write in a gratitude journal
- Getting all fancied up to go out to something special
- Giving a gift to someone you love
- Jumping on a trampoline
- Playing with a baby animal
- Baking
- Taste-testing
- Day dreaming together
- Afternoon drive with the windows down
- Audio books on long drives
- Rock climbing
- A long hike that ends in hot springs
- Going to a busy place to just people watch
- Finding fresh berries
- Yoga
- Meditate
- Star-gazing
- Sitting outside with a cuppa joe
- Hide toys/favorite things and then pulling them out 6 months later
- Finding a new playground
- Swimming in the rain at nighttime
- Exploring a creek
- Watching animals play
- Sunbathing on big warm rocks
- Watching rocks sparkle in the riverbed
- Secret love notes
- Going through past pictures together and reminiscing
- Working together
- Watching silly videos
- Mad Libs
- Good Mexican food
- Be a tourist in your hometown and see it in a new way
- Learning a new language
- Mountain-biking
- BMX tracks
- Spontaneity
- Down time
- Rehabbing and creating something beautiful out of what is.
- Soaking in the present moment
- A great craft beer (preferably a stout)
- A delicious veggie burger with smooshy fries
Your Weekly Challenge:
What is your list to happy? What can you do together? Some things may surprise you? We are all unique - we all will find other ways to be happy, and the more we can share and seek joy, the more we'll find it!
Get to know your child and what they want to do...and keep in mind their own beautiful personality style. The uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us.
Namaste
Questions or comments?
Personality styles, marriage/intimacy, parenting, education, minimalism or travel - what is pressing on your mind?
Or, hop on over to the Mama Says Namaste or Unschooling Families FB groups and ask your question there!
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