Days 82 and 83, 100 Happy Days: Bed and Snow

Day 82
I have to admit that for the second time, I skipped writing my about my happy thing yesterday. This is because the thing that made me happy was bed. Climbing under the covers on a cold night and laying my head on that soft pillow... yeah. I just had to do it. And really, how could I blog about it after I had done it? I was sleeping! So, here I am.

Day 83
Snow, beautiful snow! I dreaded getting out in it to walk the dog this morning, but once I was out... wow! Gorgeous. And it's so fun to watch a dog romp in the snow - how could a person NOT be happy watching that?! 
Also, there is something about the snow that makes the world feel different. It feels softer. It's quieter, the colors seem more vibrant. (I was scoping out gray houses that I would never even notice when they weren't surrounded by snow.) People were out taking walks. Everyone was friendly. It was just lovely.

There is something about this fence... maybe it's that beautiful blue standing out against the snow.

Day 30, 100 Happy Days: Snow Sculpting

It was absolutely freezing this morning. My phone told me it was 1 degree, but it could have easily been below zero. And I had to get out in it to play with the dog I'm sitting.

I really wanted to mumble and grumble and be miserable about  going out, but instead I made the choice to embrace it. It only makes it harder when I resist what is. And I can do absolutely nothing about the weather! Nor the fact that I had to be out in it. Might as well enjoy it!

So I made a little penguin while I was out there throwing the ball around. Not bad for a first effort. I think it could have been better had the snow had a bit more moisture, and if I could have worked at it for longer than five minutes at a time. (Even with decent gloves, my hands hurt from the cold after a few minutes.)

Making snow art made me happy, as did giving up resistance.

Bonus happy: It never warmed up, but it was good to see the blue sky. 

And of course, there's this kid... ❤

Day 26, 100 Happy Days: Snow

Max deciding if the yard is sniff-worthy.

I love snow - but only if I don't have to go out into it. I love looking at it, and I love having an excuse to stay cozy and warm at home.

But today I had to get out in it to walk a dog. Now I know that dogs are super fun in the snow. But even the prospect of watching a dog frolic and play in the snow was not enough for me to want to go out. But a pet sitter's gotta do what she's gotta do, so I put on about 8 pounds of clothes and got out there.

Suddenly I was reminded of how much I LOVE to be in the snow! I don't know why I ever forget. New snow is so beautiful. I delight in being the first one to make tracks in the snow. I love how quiet it makes the world seem, and how loud my feet are as they plow through the snow.

I've got to get some nice warm boots and get out there more often.

Day 9, 100 Happy Days: HOME!!!

Home is where the old, torn paper lantern is.

I love pet sitting. I get to stay at different houses, and hang out with awesome animals... and I'm paid to do it! But it does come at a price because I, am a homebody. I love my apartment, and I like being around my stuff. When I'm away from it for too long, I get... ungrounded.

Luckily most of the places I pet sit at are pretty close to home, so I'm able to stop in for supplies, or to get some work done. But those are only a few hours here and there. Out of the last 16 nights, I've spent two at home in my own bed.
This is the thought that I woke up to this morning: Today I go home!! (I've been happy since the minute I woke up.)

So now I'm home, in my nice cozy, messy place with my stuff.
At least until the next pet sitting job. 


Day 9 Bonus: A really nice version of the Talking Heads Song "This Must Be The Place"

100 Happy Days Again! Day One: Pet Sitting

I had such a good experience doing my Happiness Project at the beginning of this year, and I've been wanting to do it again. For some reason, it's not the easiest thing for me to start. It's not the looking for - and finding things that make me happy that I find difficult. It's the actual blogging about it - which is a very important part of the process for me. It's what keeps me on track.
So here I am.
December 1st seems the perfect time to start. I tend to get a bit gloomy around the holidays (although so far so good this year), and I figure if I start looking for things that make me happy now, perhaps I can skate through Christmas and New Years feeling better than usual.

Perk of pet-sitting: seeing the sun rise.

Day One: Pet Sitting
I've been pet/house sitting for the last several years. Not only am I paid to stay at people's lovely houses and take care of their wonderful pets, but it also allows me the opportunity to shake things up in my life.
Being self employed and a natural life-long night owl, I tend to run about four hours behind everyone else. While a lot of people get up at 5:00 or 6:00, I get up at 9:00 or 10:00. And I really like it that way! However, I think it's good to change things up every once in awhile.

When I pet sit, I'm pretty much on the animal's schedule. If the dog is up, I'm up. Right now I'm sitting a dog whose mom is an early bird, so the dog gets up with the sun. This means I'm up before the sun (if you can believe that), to get myself up and ready for the wild puppy energy.

The best thing about getting up so early? Yes, getting a jump on the day is nice but I'm loving those sunrises! Gorgeous. So, there I am at 6:30am, bundled up, throwing a ball to a dog, and letting that sunrise make me happy. Oh yeah, and this guy... this guy makes me happy too...

Yup... and this sweet girl....