Slice of Life Tuesday...Finding Happiness in Every Day

Thanks to Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers for hosting Slice of Life.  You can read other slices at their website.

This year I have made a commitment to focus on finding the joy in each and every day.  I'm one of those people who tends to take on more than I should (although most of it sounds fun when I say "yes" to something new) and then before I know it, I'm overwhelmed.  After one especially crazy weekend, I decided that no matter how stressed or behind in my school work I was, I was going to look for and focus on the good in my day.  It's put a much more positive spin on my life.  So, what has been bringing me happiness?  It's the everyday simple things where I find the most satisfaction.

The following Monday, after my crazy weekend, I received a text from my husband that said, "READ ANNIE'S BLOG."  I was actually on my way out the door to go to class, so I dropped my book bag (full of school work that I probably wasn't going to do) and logged on to Annie's blog.  (For those of you who don't know, Annie is our 17 year-old daughter who is currently in Turkey for the school year as a foreign exchange student).  The tears came on quickly and I immediately sent the above text to my friend Kathy.  Annie's words were the ultimate gift any parent could ever receive.

My family definitely makes me happy.  My husband and I have 3 kids who have grown up into wonderful young adults. In addition, since we've begun hosting foreign exchange students, our family has expanded to include Sana from India, Adrianna from  Spain, Fiona from Germany, and Duygu from Turkey.  (And I can't leave out Jonathan, Annie's boyfriend, who is a pretty neat kid himself.)

I LOVE fall!  Taking walks and listening to the leaves crunch under my feet is the best.  The solitude brings peace to my soul.

Baking is my therapy.  I got home early from class last night and decided to make a new cookie recipe just for fun.  I'm thinking that this baking therapy is not really good for my Weight Watchers journey.  :)






There are so many other things that bring me joy...my friends, my CAWP colleagues, my blogging buddies, friends  at school, Tuesday morning breakfast at Bob Evans with Joyce and Kathy, beginning my doctoral journey, losing myself in a good book, writing, gardening, playing FB Scrabble, and last but not least, my kids at school.  Every day brings something new with the 29 fourth graders in my life. Yes, my days are hectic and crazy, but all in all, hanging out with curious, eager learners is a pretty good way to spend the day.