Seriously, what else could I put on my list today. Love ya Sis!

1. Comfy, fluffy, cuddly down comforters.
2. Good stories to keep me company on a sleepy day.
3. Naps. Naps are very nice.

All-Cat Sunday

1. Zoe and I both surviving the first clipping of her nails. Because I am so tired of her grabbing both sides of my face to lean in and bite my nose.
2. Zoe being more curious than frightened of the vacuum.
3. Zoe loves cheese, hates shrimp, and likes to lick the juice from my fruit bowl. They’re all so very different.

This project, by the way, is getting harder and harder.

1. Watching Zoe blossom. She’s playing more and seems to be feeling more comfortable here. Up until Friday, if I picked up one of the mousies that she has chosen as her favorites or a ball and threw it for her, she would cringe and run away. Someone has been mean to her. She has finally decided that she should chase the mousie or ball and, although I am doubting she will be the type of cat that enjoys fetch, she’s having fun. The biting has improved and mostly seems to be about being startled.
2. Having a sense of humor. I bought Dad a box of individually wrapped cherry danishes at Sam’s the other day. They’re the sort of thing he likes and I figured he would have several days worth of treats. He has, however, put them somewhere. Anything not out on the counter doesn’t exist for Dad. I’ve searched. His housekeeper looked while she was cleaning. Dad doesn’t even remember the things. I seriously doubt that he ate all 12 in one day although that is what he says must have happened. Apparently he ate the box, too. At any rate, all I can do is shake my head and laugh.
3. Cream cheese. Is anything better on toast or english muffins than cream cheese? Plus you can pretend it’s kind of good for you – at least better than butter!

I finally got around to making an appointment with the shrink. Two things, I am so tired of driving. At least that’s one excuse. And I’m having trouble getting out of the house. That’s the swamp, not anxiety. I had so many excuses. I’ve had a cold, I’ve had flu, I’ve had problems with my blood sugar. It therefore it took me a while to realize I was avoiding. So, I finally made an appointment. Plus, it’s nice to have an adult conversation once in a while.

We went over time, which isn’t unusual for us. The conversation turned to the glass half empty v. the glass half full. Shrink says that he falls into “the glass ought to be full” category and is frustrated with things he can’t change. He’s totally not into acceptance right now. Whereas I am more in the “there’s too much glass” category. The big things? The world? I am in the acceptance arena. It’s not that I think the things going on in the world are right – it’s just that I know I can’t really do much about them. I try to vote for people I think might make a difference in the big world. Sometimes I wish I was the Mother Teresa type out there in the trenches making a difference, but I’m not. I do my charity at home and in my community. These are the places I feel like I can make a difference. Right now, I’m mostly about family and friends but when I make donations, they are mostly local.

Zoe is not hopelessly optimistic or filled with angst and pessimism. She is in the “I’ll get what I want on my own” category. The other day, I was having a snack of cheese in the afternoon and Zoe came running, jumped up on my lap and grabbed a piece of cheese. She took off running and then hunkered down on the cheese like it was a masterful kill; snarling and protecting her cheese.

The glass isn’t half empty or half full. You don’t have to accept it either way. You can go out and steal your own cheese.

Peace of simply being…is not only a reward in itself but a blessing to all who encounter it ~ Catherine Ingram

I haven’t met my goal of creating quiet time yet this week but I have been directed to yet another blog that agrees that it’s needed. The Happiness Advantage, on Chookooloonks.com posted about how difficult life is and making a conscious decision to focus on what is good in your life as much as possible. That remains difficult for me though I completely agree with the idea. That is one of the reasons I try not to write a lot about the stresses I feel, though there are certainly times I give them a lot of word space. Part of my happiness project from past years was to try to focus on the positive and let go of what I could of the negative parts of life. The negative parts of life, the stresses, seem to overwhelm my mind and that is part of the reason I have trouble with quiet. It’s also a good reason to practice meditation or guided imagery or something to slow down – other than the occasional nap.

Tish sent me to Chookooloonks for this video which I’m storing here so I don’t forget it.

…It’s not necessarily the reality that shapes us but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens not only can we change your happiness, we can change every single educational and business outcome at the same time.

…the key to understanding the science of happiness. ‘Cause what that question assumes is that our external world is predictive of our happiness levels. When in reality, if I know everything about your external world I can only predict 10% of your long term happiness. Ninety percent of your long term happiness is predicted not by the external world but by the way your brain processes the world. And if we change it – if we change our formula for happiness and success – what we can do is change the way that we can then affect reality.

~Shawn Achor

From the website about his book: The Happiness Advantage

Most people believe that once they become successful, then they’ll be happy. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology and neuroscience have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe.

He seems to have interesting things to say about retraining our brains to seek out the positive rather than focus on the negative. I can’t say this is a new idea, it’s just one that seems to be hard to put into action. In the TED talk, he suggests writing down three new things that you are grateful for every day for 21 days and in the end, you will be actively looking for the positives around you. It’s not the only thing he suggests but it’s a place to start. So add that to my goals. Quiet time and seeking out the positive.