Ms.D has had me thinking a lot about happiness. Specifically; how we find it, increase it, and hold on to it.
Can increasing one’s sense of happiness be as simple as finding something one loves to do, and doing it? It seems like happy people are (1) actively seeking out the things they love, and (2) doing them.
Take me for example. I love to write. And so I carve out the time to write every day. If I’m not writing I am thinking about writing. Writing makes me happy. I’m not happy when I’m not writing.
I also love the outdoors, new experiences, and photography. I am working on incorporating more of those things into my life.
This was harder when I was a new mom. Crushing fatigue affected every aspect of my life. I had no energy to actively pursue the things that made me happy. And so I did less of those things. And I got unhappier. And ate more. And did less. And became less happy. (See what I’m getting at?)
I’d really like to talk about this. What’s the thing that you love doing? And how are you incorporating it into your life? If you’re not doing that thing that you love most, can you find a way to do more of it?
My neighborhood is Development Central right now. Winter is coming to an end and there’s a construction crew on every corner. New buildings are springing up all over the place and old ones are getting major facelifts.
One of these is the old Chinese Bible Church on Richmond Road right near the Legion. This is what’s going on there right now:
Don’t know which building I’m talking about? I don’t blame you. It blended into everything around it. It was a mass of brown siding, completely unremarkable in every way but size. Your eye easily passed it by, that is, when it wasn’t covered in scaffolding.
It used to be a movie theatre. If I had an extra five million lying around I’d buy it myself, give it a refurb and turn it into another Bytowne Cinema. Imagine how great it would be to live walking distance away from a grand old dame like that.
So the old church/movie theatre is being renovated. People have questions and no one really knows what’s going on. I asked a friend of mine if he had any insider info. Apparently, at two million, it wasn’t selling very well. So the owner/developer is giving it a dust and a polish to make it more attractive to buyers.
It makes me sad already, thinking that it’s likely going to turn into another place to buy coffee or yoga/fitness wear. Or maybe it’ll be another completely useless business for local residents… perhaps it is destined to become a place to get a botox or chiropractic treatment, or to buy kitchen tiles or expensive eyewear.
Where is the baker? The butcher? The deli? Do you think there’s one out there who has two million to spend on a new old building?
More tomorrow.
Crowds make me grumpy and disoriented. Is it claustrophobia? A general sense of impatience? Lack of caffeine? I don’t know, but March Break crowds can be a rather hellish experience for people like me. I want to do stuff with the kids but I don’t want to do what every other parent in Ottawa is doing with their kids.
I wish we were jetting away somewhere awesome, but that’s not happening.
This year I have decided that my sanity comes first. We’re going to stay off the beaten track for the duration of March Break.
We will not:
- be going to any of the major museums
- be going to the movies, the pool, or Ikea.
This is what I’m thinking of doing instead:
- inviting a few little friends over for a late afternoon playdate which will morph into dinner and a movie and a sleepover
- taking daddy out to lunch
- get our arty fix here at home with some preplanned crafts
- hosting a tea party for neighbor friends and their teddy bears. We’ll make invites the day before and bake something for the occasion. (God I love cucumber sandwiches on white bread.)
- visiting the library EARLY and borrowing a stack of books
- pumping some air in our tires and getting our bikes ready for Spring
- buying a puppy (I’m only half kidding. I miiiiight have to think about that some more, what do you think)
- ?
What else? What do you have planned over March Break?
