fall is here

At the beginning of every season I'm always excited for something. When it's spring time I'm excited to see more of the sun and all the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. When summer comes around I can't wait to wear flip flops and lay out in the sun endlessly reading books. When winter comes...well, I love Christmas so winter is good because of that (however, by the end of January I'm at a loss for things to like about winter). And then there is fall. My favorite of all the seasons. What's not to love about fall? Cooler weather. Boots. Leaves. Scarves. PSL. Fireplace. Thankfulness. Candles. Oh and pumpkin {everything}.

Right now my house smells so lovely ~ coffee beans in my kitchen table centerpiece, new apple ale candle, and pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars baking in the oven. Any time I can use pumpkin, molasses, and fall spices in the same recipe I am a very happy girl! My parents are coming to Seattle tomorrow and the whole family will be here for dinner so I'm breaking out the crock pot again to make a pot roast. Crock pot cooking isn't all that fun when only one person is eating (or I end up with a million freezer meals of the same thing!). I can't wait to have people here to cook for and to eat with. My home feels empty with just one or two people. I crave a crowd.

I blame my mother for this feeling I have. Growing up there were always people in our home- after school, coming over for dinner, holiday meals- everyone came to our house for these things. It wasn't until middle school that I started to realize it wasn't normal to have people over for dinner three or four (or more) times a week. Feeding people is both my mom's love language and her spiritual gift, and I feel that I have inherited these things as well. Making someone a home-cooked meal or bringing treats to work is my way of blessing those around me (and also feeling blessed myself). Why not make someone's day a little bit better if I have the time and ability to?

"...Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35b

selfless happiness

"The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit. I know a fortunate few people -- such as my father -- who seem naturally sunny-tempered. Now I wonder how effortless this really is." [The Happiness Project p.217]

Ultimately, from where does someone's happiness stem?

 

"For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy." Psalm 92:4

Happiness.

Define happiness.

No really, try and define happiness in a way that would be completely accurate for everyone. I suppose it would have something to do with having pleasant feelings toward something or someone. Or maybe it is a positive experience instead of something more negative. But what is it that makes us happy? Are we more or less prone to be happy based on are circumstances? Are certain people inherently more happy than others?

Samuel Johnson says, "The business of the wise man is to be happy." Does this mean wise people are happy? Or are happy people wise?

Recently I have been reading the book The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin, thus, my thoughts about happiness. The author conducts all this research about what makes people happy and how she can use that information to make herself happier in a 12-month experiment. (She admits that she's not really unhappy, it's more that she wants to truly appreciate life by being happy.) Each month she sets a goal for things that she wants to do- boost energy, lighten up, make time for friends, etc. and then keeps track of what she actually does and how it affects her happiness. I'm about halfway through this book and I'd recommend it!

All that to say, what makes me happy? Why am I a happy person? God has blessed me with a wonderful family, a job I love, great friends, and so much more. Would I be so happy if my situation was different? Am I more naturally inclined to look at the glass half-full or did I learn how to do that? Don't get me wrong, I definitely have my moments of sadness but generally I'd say I'm a rather happy person.

So what makes me happier or unhappier than the next person?
My head hurts from trying to figure happiness out.