Dear Friends …

You want to get more–not less–happy. And you can. Pay attention to what you’re feeling … and where it’s coming from.

If you begin to feel some unrest, or you sense less joy, you’ll find a reason for it. At first it may seem like the cause is outside yourself, but it’s not.

Somewhere during this pandemic, I was feeling less than my little-girl giddy when Sam arrived home from work. On the surface, it may have seemed like the reason was dinner preparation.

We used to go out to dinner most Friday nights. I looked forward to that break from cooking and cleaning up. But the problem was not the extra cooking or cleaning. The problem was not the pandemic. The problem was not Sam. The problem was, the problem is always, my straying from my truth.

Without my break, I was beginning to feel trapped. I was doing more than I wanted to do, more than I could do wholeheartedly. I stopped. I asked Sam to help. I stopped thinking that dinner had to be on time and include a palate cleanser.

Dinner is a bit more spontaneous and, with Sam’s help, as delicious as ever. I am back to little-girl happy to see Sam when he arrives home, even if he’s early. And … he’s happier, too. We revisited what we’ve both known since we got married 14 years ago. Sam likes to cook more than I do. I thrive on efficiency in the kitchen, making something wonderful with minimal investment. And I cook for Sam because it’s meaningful to him.

But to be happy, I must, above all else, be true to myself.

Happy is a choice. Let’s make it … and pay attention when we need to choose again.

Love and smiles,