After Griffin died, I was in a very dark place. I thought there was nothing left in this life, nothing good left for me. Everything felt bleak.
In January of last year, I was inspired to start a happiness jar.
At the end of each day, I wrote down a happy moment from my day and put it in this jar. These moments were nothing huge, just small moments from the day that made my heart happy.
It was not easy at first. I struggled to find the light – the happy – in many days. I had to remind myself many times throughout the year, “Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day”.
In time, finding those moments got easier, and it started changing the way I looked at each day. And I found that there was still happy left in this life for me. It might not be the happy that should have been or the happy that I desperately wanted, but a different happy. One that was still sweet. Still worthwhile.
In the past, I’ve often looked back on the year remembering all the hard stuff, the tough stuff… Always thinking next year will be better, brighter, easier. This year, I finished 2015 by closing the lid on my happiness jar, which now holds 365+ reminders of just how sweet this past year has been.
Reading through these today has been so fun (and hysterical!), remembering and reliving all those moments from the past year. And honestly, many of these moments I would have completely forgotten!
I’ve decided to continue my happiness jar practice into 2016. It is now quite special to me. The hard stuff in life in unavoidable, so you’ve got to hold onto as much of the sweet stuff as you can.
This is me with my happiness jar last night, feeling proud and accomplished for finishing the year together.
- The Happiness Jar - January 25, 2016
- That Empty Room - September 7, 2015