The Simple Things in Life

I have been thinking about starting a new blog or at least redesigning this one. Whenever I was thinking about the design on this one, I wanted to go simple and keep the name So Live Your Life. Someone said "You know that's a Rhianna song?" Yes, I am very aware of that. But listen to the lyrics. I still have to make the paper, but I live my life. There are some rough patches along the way, but overall, I enjoy my life. Tyler has saved me from leading such a sheltered life. He has opened my eyes to new things. Things that I might not have been exposed to without him. I am thankful for each and every moment that I have spent with him. Even the not-so-good moments. They have all been learning experiences.

I just wanted to take some time and list things that make me smile on a daily basis. The things that keep me going are the small...simple things in life.

• My kids. The funny things they say. The look on their face and the excitement in their voice when they accomplish something and learn something new.
• Tyler. He is always able to make me laugh with the random and funny things that he does. He has a contagious personality. He doesn't even know how funny he is.
• My cat. Same goes with him. He has a wonderful personality. He entertains himself half of the time. He is also the most photogenic animal I have ever seen.
• Kristen. She been there unconditionally for me I don't know how many times. She is a true friend and a blessing in my life.
• My mom. She is always there for me. My life would be horrible without her. I don't even know if I could live life like this without her.
• My sister. She is one of my best friends and is always there if I need to talk. I can't imagine my life without her either.
• I like reminiscing on funny memories, looking at old videos, looking at old pictures, hearing old stories (involving and not involving me).

"Be happy"... I know, easier said than done

Overall, I am happy with my life. I have a wonderful family and great set of friends. I have a great job. I have a roof over my head. Food on the table. Gas in the car. Money to pay bills (even though I don't have much left over when I do). I have so much more than some people have. But sometimes it is still hard to be completely happy with life. I think that I have too high of expectations for people and for things in my life. I get this picture in my head of what things are supposed to be like and if things do not go that way, then I am a little disappointed, I guess. I finally brought it back up to my doctor that I need something to calm my nerves. I have yet to try both sets of medication that he put me on, but that was more like my mom telling me how one of them might affect me seeing as how she knows how medication treats me. For the most part, I am doing really well. I have only had 2 days since I have been on it that I felt like it didn't really work. It's not a cure-all so I am not a totally new person, but I feel like there has been a major change since I have been on it. One thing that I dreaded being on medication was feeling tired all of the time and being sick at my stomach the first week that I was on it. I also thought that I could just make myself be happy. Like I said, it's easier said than done. "1...2...3...Be happy." Yeah right. It doesn't work that way. Ignoring the problem(s) doesn't work. Period. There are so many good things in my life, but because I have let the bad override the good, I couldn't focus on what was important. In a sense, I was ruining my life. I was pushing everyone away that was important to me. I am proud that I finally took the first step in helping myself. That was to accept that I needed help to be happy. One thing that I want people to know is that you cannot rely on people to make you happy. If you are unhappy on the inside, there is nothing that people can do to change that if you have a chemical imbalance. You cannot make someone be happy. You have to be happy with yourself to be completely happy with someone else. I am on my way to be a happier daughter, a happier sister, a happier wife, a happier friend, a happier teacher, a happier co-worker... a happier person.

Happiness Project

As we all know, I'm pretty horrible at staying committed to projects unless it's somethng that I'm doing for someone else as a gift.  But this one, I feel like I have to do.  Without going into any major detail, I have been very unhappy for quite some time.  I'm talking a couple of years.  Of course I have had my good days; they are not all bad.  But overall, I am not a happy person.  I've struggled with a lot lately. 

Anyway, so I've decided at the end of every week, I'm going to reflect on all of the good happenings of the past week.  It's worth a shot, right?  I know that my problems are deep, but all of the positive that I can draw out of my life might help me from thinking "Wow, this week sucked" and it might keep me from feeling so exhausted at the end of the week so that I can enjoy my weekends more.  What do I have to lose?  Everyday, I'll document things that made me happy.  I may still be in denial that I need to talk to someone again, but until the funds become available on top of all the other bills that I have, I'm trying everything that I can. 

I want my life back.

I want to be a happy daughter, a happy wife, a happy sister, a happy friend, a happy teacher.

I'm walking into this as being a success and for it to be a step forward.  I would love to have someone join me in this.  Either join me, or help me to keep the positive in perspective.