Expectation

I was told by someone today that the best thing to do is anything you want to do without expecting anything in return.

 

No expectations.

 

Let’s try it 

Ten Things….

Ten things to be happy about…
1. Your pet. If you don’t have one, get one. If you can’t get one, buy a plant. Bonsai’s are fun. I once met someone with pet rocks.
2. Your body. The other day, while trying on swimsuits, I did the owl-turn-of-neck to see how my butt looked. There was a momentary cringe followed by a slight pinch of my cushiony bits. This was a blip. A glitch. I slapped myself (no not in the butt) metaphorically. My body is just fine. So is yours. Keep reminding yourself of that, especially in dressing rooms.
3. Your interests. Whether it is photography, music, technology or cactus, be happy about your interests for they make you unique. Relish in them and keep doing so for as long as you get satisfaction.
4. Your job. Yeah, so maybe you want a different one, a better one, a higher paying one. Unless you are crying every day when you get home, be happy you have a means to an end. If you love your job, be happy that not only do you have a means to an end, but an enjoyable day as well.
5. Your family, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your friends. This can cause the most happiness of all (and more often than not coupled with the most frustration). Whether your loved ones drive you to grow, drive you to be a better person or just drive you insane, the bottom line is they make us happy. Tell them they do so. Try to do things every day that you know will make them happy. They will also do the same.
6. Luxury. If you are reading this, that means you have a computer. If you have a computer that means you can afford luxury, be it large or small. If you love chocolate, buy the best there is. If you love fabric, buy high thread count (email me for suggestions). If you have very little money, borrow two bucks from one of those loved ones you just made happy to get the really good ice cream.
7. Your ability to learn. Can you imagine a fun life if you cease to learn anything new? I can’t either.
8. The mistakes you make. No one ever thinks they did it completely right. No one ever thinks they said the right thing. No one ever wishes they could have a do-over. Realize you are not alone, and your mistakes lead to growth. Often they made lead to a broken bone or a bruised butt….but those heal too.
9. Sleep. Sleep makes you live longer, live healthier, and be late for a morning meeting. But, how fun is it when you roll into work late in a shirt you found on the floor, wearing two different shoes because that was all that was in your car, and a stain on your pants from drinking coffee while driving, hoping no one will notice?
10. E-book readers. 180 books in the palm of my hand. Ok, that was a selfish number ten in my top ten…forgive me please.

Ant Hills

When I feel neurotic, or sad, or scared, or insert-yucky-emotion-here I get a good kick in the ass from my grandfather.

What does he say?

It only takes one sentence for him to slap me back into the reality that everything is not a big deal, and it is pretty damn easy to be happy most of the time.

“Rachel, we are all ants and all we can really see is the top of the ant hill.”

Sometimes I wonder what he means, and why he always seems to talk in metaphor. It’s like having this Yoda in my ear that can only be understood half the time and the other half I am left standing there muttering “huh?”

Sometimes I take this to mean that we can really only see what is slightly in front of us instead of the big picture. Sometimes I take this to mean that all people being equal parts of the puzzle, none of us are as important as we think we are, so self absorption is futile.

Most of the times I take that statement as if we really know so little, and can see so little, then from a universal perspective, we are ignorant.

From that I see that ignorance is truly bliss and although sometimes I don’t understand my grandfather I absorb the information anyway and if we know nothing, we can’t worry about anything…joy then is the only way to go.

Lesson #1

When I feel neurotic, or sad, or scared, or insert-yucky-emotion-here I get a good kick in the ass from my grandfather.

What does he say?

It only takes one sentence for him to slap me back into the reality that everything is not a big deal, and it is pretty damn easy to be happy most of the time.

“Rachel, we are all ants and all we can really see is the top of the aunt hill.”

Sometimes I wonder what he means, and why he always seems to talk in metaphor. It’s like having this Yoda in my ear that can only be understood half the time and the other half I am left standing there muttering “huh?”

Sometimes I take this to mean that we can really only see what is slightly in front of us instead of the big picture. Sometimes I take this to mean that all people being equal parts of the puzzle, none of us are as important as we think we are, so self absorption is futile.

Most of the times I take that statement as if we really know so little, and can see so little, then from a universal perspective, we are ignorant.

From that I see that ignorance is truly bliss and although sometimes I don’t understand my grandfather I absorb the information anyway and if we know nothing, we can’t worry about anything…joy then is the only way to go.