Five reasons to smile

This weekend has been one of reflection in many ways. I am not sure if it because it is that time of year, the Spring Equinox, the sun came out or just because I had a bit more time on my hands. Whatever it was my mind turned to contemplation about what I have and more importantly what I have to be grateful for.

It was the annual international day of happiness today and that should be something more people recognise and mark in some way. It would be good if more people found ways to make others happy not just on this day but on every other day of the year. We spend far too much time thinking about ourselves when we should consider those around us. If we make others happy then it makes us happy.

There are many things in my life that make me happy and I was able to reflect on them today. So here are some of them and why they are important to me:

• my family – spending time with my loved ones is always beneficial to my spirit whether it is doing something fun or having a philosophical discussion
• animals – having large and small creatures in my life boosts it as they give so much and ask so little
• finding ways to be creative – whether it is finding a solution to a problem at work or making something at home I am happiest when I feel I am being creative in my life
• baking – I enjoy the creative process of putting ingredients together and making something but more than that I love it when I can share the outcome and hopefully make other people smile
• writing – well of course this has to feature, why else would I have set myself the challenge of writing a blog every day during 2016? Putting words together both at work and at home makes me happy even when it is a tough challenge.

Each of these can make me smile and if my day involves all of them then I may be tired but I will be happy. Reflecting on it today makes me grateful that my life at the moment includes all five of them on a daily or regular basis, and for that I say thank you.