The Towel

Towels are a funny thing don't you think? Even the word is funny, towel, tow-el. to-ow-el. Weird. But you don't realize how important or useful they are until you don't have one when you need one. Right? With that thought I begin my story: 

Today the towel I usually use to dry off with after my shower was in the wash. I therefore grabbed a different towel and went about my business.  When I needed said towel I soon realized that it was not as clean as I thought and was not only not clean, but dirty dish towel stinky.  What do I do? I could either stand there and drip dry, wave my hands and run around to air dry or use the stinky towel. So I stood there and ended up wrapping my hair loosely in the stinky towel and using the used, small hand towel that was just kind of dirty but not stinky to dry off. I know this may not be an appropriate picture in your mind or this post may not be appropriate for young readers, however it needed to be told so I could figure out one of my good mood triggers: CLEAN, FLUFFY, FRESH TOWELS. I didn't realize what I was missing until I had to use stinky towel and hand towel and put on enough lotion and hair stuff to mask the stench left behind by the stinky towel. I wasn't about to go out, find a new towel and then shower off again. Too much work! So by having a "stinky towel" experience, it really made me appreciate the days when I have a clean towel. Isn't that how life works? So get yourself an awesome, big, fluffy,  fresh towel and use expensive fabric softener just on it and enjoy the freshness. Sure to put you in a good mood. Because the stinky towel kind of put me in a stinky mood not to mention a stinky person in general. I am washing my fluffy towel today.

A Fresh Cut

Getting ready in the morning can get very tedious and boring. So much so that most days, unless I have somewhere I absolutely have to be, I avoid getting ready all together, doing the bare minimum.  Sometimes not washing my hair, not putting on makeup - just making it so my kids don't say "mom, you stink".  Today I figued out a way to combat the "getting ready" monotony. Get a new haircut.  A few days ago I got my hair cut by an awesome stylist whom I love and now I love getting ready and even look forward to it.  Now, this sort of thing doesn't happen for other monotonous tasks like doing the dishes for instance.  If I get a new glass or bowl, I don't make it dirty just so I can wash it or I don't stare at it in the sink just waiting until I can pour soap into it and see it clean again.  Even a new dishwasher might make doing the dishes exciting for one day, then I would be sick of doing them again. On the other hand,  a cute haircut can make me excited to get ready for weeks!  So today, a new haircut is all it took to put me in a really good mood and motivate me to get ready. Unfortunately, a bad haircut can have the exact opposite effect so be careful who you trust with you locks! Go out and get a fresh new haircut and see what it can do for you.

Everything Christmas

I know you would probably expect this post around this time of year - but I have to say that almost every day for the past little while something Christmas has put me in a good mood. Whether it is reading a daily special Christmas story from a book of stories given to our family. Or waking up and seeing that our Christmas Tree lights have already been turned on by my husband who loves to have them on morning and night. Or downloading great classic Christmas songs to put on my IPod  like Mariah Carey's "O Holy Night" and "All I Want for Christmas is You" or Josh Groban's "Thankful" or Michael McLean's "The Forgotten Carols".  Or my favorite - the Hilary Weeks Christmas Album. Or getting a package in the mail from my mom with early Christmas goodies in it. Or seeing neighbors who actually make the effort to put up Christmas lights despite them getting covered by 41 inches of snow.  Icicle lights. Red and Green M&M's, The Salvation Army Bell ringers, Receiving Christmas Cards from Old and New Friends in the mail, finding a good deal on just the right present for just the right person, watching our Church Leaders give a Christmas Devotional, taking time to remember what Christmas is all about, having my daughter re-enact the "Rudolph" play she went to on a field trip, having a snow day, ornaments, twinkling lights, Stephens Hot Chocolate, scarves, going with the kids to the Dollar store to let them pick out presents for each other. Singing bedtime Christmas songs, and more....all these special things put me in a daily good mood. This time of year is a natural good mood enhancer IF you slow down and allow it to be. Merry Christmas.

Sucking it Up...

Have you ever thought of what a great invention vacuum's are?  What did people do before vacuum's? Sweep? hand pick up? Well today I officially admit to having a crush on my vacuum. Since we have moved to our new house I have not had a good working vacuum.  So for months I have wanted one and finally broke down and researched and read reviews etc.. and finally decided on one.(pictured above) I got it yesterday and was like a little girl in a candy store putting it together today piece by piece.  As I ran it over my nasty floors I realized that I LOVE to vacuum. I had no idea how much I loved and appreciated a good vacuum job until I hadn't had one for 4 months.  It was awesome and I feel so much better about my house and my day because my floors are clean and I didn't have to get down on my hand and knees to get them that way. I love it and having a powerful suctioning vacuum is a great mood enhancer. So "suck" it up and vacuum your house and if your vacuum does not suck like mine didn't - then go buy yourself a new one and enjoy vacuuming all over again. It is an awesome feeling. Ahhhhhh.......

AloHA!

This time last year I had the experience to be in a woman's choir directed by the amazing Merrilee Webb. My sister talked me into it and it was a life changing/attitude altering experience for me. The first thing Merrilee shares with you is her story from living in Hawaii and about the Hawaii people's "HA" or breath of life (life energy) and the whole spirit behind the AloHA or the Aloha Spirit.  So when the Hawaii people say AloHA they are breathing life into you.  Merrilee's whole goal is to teach you how to make a difference everywhere you go by your attitude and how you present yourself - to smile to give energy off to the people around you and create friendships and wonderful relationships. It was inspiring and like I said life changing. She has such wonderful stories and she makes you laugh and cry in the same five minutes. I loved my experiences in that choir last year. We were the choir that sang on the day after Thanksgiving on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah last year when they lit up the square with Christmas lights and it was awesome. We all made Hawaiian lei's to wear around our necks and the Christmas music we sang was just beautiful.  We would do a Hawaiian chant at the beginning of all our rehearsals that I will play back on the CD sometimes when I am feeling down just to remember that experience and to remember what the chant meant. Here is the chant and it's interpretation:

HIKI MAI E NA PUA I KA LA’IE

COME FORWARD AND APPEAR YOU PRECIOUS FLOWERS ARISING IN THE

CALMNESS OF THIS SPECIAL DAY

KE PI’I A’E LA KA MAUNA KI’EKI’E

EACH OF YOU ARE TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF NOT SIMPLY CLIMBING

A HIGH MOUNTAIN BUT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO CLIMB THE HIGHEST AND

MOST MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN OF ALL

HA’A MAI NA KAMA ME KA MAKUA

DANCE FORWARD YOU CHILDREN OF YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER

HE WEHI PULAMA A’O KE KUPUNA

FOR IS IT NOT SO THAT YOU OUR CHILDREN ARE SO VERY PRECIOUS, IN

FACT, YOU ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS ADORNMENT WORN AROUND THE

NECK OF YOUR ANCESTORS

E KA’I MAI ANA E KA’I MAI ANA

COME FORWARD COME FORWARD FOR THERE ARE MANY ROADS FOR

YOU TO CHOOSE…

E HAHAI I KA LEO O KA HAKU E

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE VOICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, FOR HE WILL

ALWAYS KEEP YOU, PROTECT YOU, AND SHOW YOU THE WAY.

So when I am in a bad mood I think of the difference one smile, one AloHA can make to someone and I think of the wonderful spirit I felt at every rehearsal in that choir and it puts me in a good mood. So aloHA... go and breathe energy or life into someone.

High Five

I love the act of the High Five. It is such a positive thing.  From infancy you are taught how to give a "high five".  One of the reasons I love them so much is because they can almost never be negative. You would never say to a friend "I am having the worst day ever - please give me a high five" - it just doesn't work. The act of the "High Five" dates back centuries I am sure but for my life "high-fives" have meant a million different things. I remember playing that game when I was little with high fives, you know the one...."Up high, on the side, down low - too slow...etc.." and laughing hard at tricking people. I love watching and playing this game with my kids now. Pure joy. Then as I grew up a little I played sports, so high fives on the field or court or wherever usually meant encouragement to do a good job or to actually say "good job - you did something great".  I would make up 'high-five secret handshakes" with my friends that would include all sorts of high five-ing and cool things that would make me feel like I had something special with people. Then as I started dating the joke would come about of "high-five-ing" on the porch after dates. And I still remember the high five with the lingering hand hold I gave my husband before he left for two years to serve our church.  My husband loves high fives and always has. He would give high fives to everyone in a room when he was leaving and made every person feel special. I see him giving them to my son when he plays basketball with him and I saw him give them to his High School students all the time for encouragement and praise.  How can someone not feel special if you give them a high five? How can you not feel special for giving one out? So next time you are feeling down just ask the next person you see to give you a high five or make up a secret high five handshake with a friend or even play the "down low too slow" game with someone. I love high fives. They are sure to put you in a good mood.

Swinging

I have always loved to swing whether on the playground or on the dance floor - swinging is one of my favorite things to do.  As fate would have it, this is also one of my daughter's favorite things too.  I try to avoid playgrounds with swings because if there are swings that is all she will want to do is be pushed the entire time we are at the park.  It will be a great day when she learns to pump her legs, but until then I push and I push and I push. There could be a rollar-coaster or ferris-wheel at the park, but all she will want to do is have me give her "under-doggies" on the swings. At my elementary school growing up there was these type of swings where you had handlebars you pulled with your arms rather then having to pump with your feet. I think they were designed for handicapped kids. As kids however, we would get one kid on back one on front and one sitting on the seat and we would get going so high and I would love that feeling. Of course, eventually, they were taken out and replaced by something safer - but every recess would bring pure joy and fear as I prepared to board those swings with my friends. I loved them.  So the other day I finally found a park near my new home and of course all my daughter wanted was to swing. So I start to push her and I start to enjoy giving her under-doggie after under-doggie and to tickle her when she swings my way. To see the joy I remembered reflected in her eyes was something special. However, I then realized that my swinging days are not over, I climbed on a swing myself and started pumping and pumping until I was flying very high. I would put my head back and swing down and after the nausea wore off I remembered what it was like to be a child and to swing and that feeling of fear and joy you get on swings. I get that feeling now that I am a grown-up but it usually comes from seeing if checks I write will clear the bank. :) So to feel that innocent joy again put me in a good mood for a really long time. So if you're having a bad day - go find a park and either push your kids on a swing with a few under-doggies or climb on one yourself, let go and remember the feeling of pure joy.