Merry Christmas to One and All

Today is a wonderful day. Think about it, it's Christmas! It's a season of happiness and joy. If you aren't seeing it, maybe you need to look inwards. Sure, things happen all around us that are hard and definitely not fun, not even happy; but, remember happiness comes from within. Look inside yourself, and spread the joy! Let it come from inside you, and share it with others. As my dear friend quoted Buddha on her blog, he said: "Happiness never decreases by being shared."

Make it a method to share your joy, even in little things. If one person doesn't appreciate the happiness with you, look for another to share with, and keep doing so until your joy has multiplied in it's fullness. If you make happiness an "object" to be shared with others, you will be able to help others find that happiness also. You will find that it will be easier to be happy. This season is a great factor in bringing some people grand amounts of happiness, but lets try to remember that the joy of this season can extend on beyond this month.

Let's try it ;)
Be Happy.
Share it.
-gracie

Harry Potter- Of Course!

I am sad to say that I did think about writing many a time in the last while, and have been lazy and have not done so. It makes me disappointed in myself that I am such a lazy couch potato. I will definitely be writing more from here on out, or I will be mad.... at myself I guess.

So, I have been reading a lot since I got back home for the break, because I am trying to read every book/series on the list that BBC released. I read Little Women first, and loved it tremendously. There were so many times that I read something in that book where I truly wanted to write something about it in here, but I would put it off, and then wouldn't be able to find the passage again.

Now that I have finished that book I have moved onto Harry Potter. Yes, I have read them before.... many a time, but I am re-reading all the books I have read on the list as well as reading all the ones I haven't yet read. I just decided I couldn't pass up reading them again as soon as I could, call me a fanatic (which, sadly enough, I am. Some of my friends don't see it as much down at school, but really..... I probably know everything about them hahaha..... anyways.) I was reading the first one a bit ago, and something made me smile really big, and I really wanted to write about it in here. Let me share the passage first:

"Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't liked corned beef."

"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on--"

"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."

"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron......

This doesn't necessarily take a BIG part in the book, maybe hardly at all. But this small incident plays a big role in all of our lives. Do we like sharing? Are we selfish? I know I am. I know ALL of us are, in all reality.

It is true that when we share selflessly, and enjoy the feeling of it, then we are becoming better people. You gain friends, you learn how to work with others, and you just are happier. I know it's true, do you? 

It's almost Christmas. Are you thinking of others? What have you done to help others find true happiness this season? Think about it, because truly, happiness doesn't come from the commercial part of the season.

-gracie

Made me Smile

Tonight me and my roommates exchanged gifts for Christmas. We all go our separate ways on Friday, so we did it tonight. It was a ton of fun, but there were two things tonight that actually meant a lot to me. My actual roommate wrote me a note and put it on my gift that she gave me. I didn't read it then, because there were a lot of people around. I forgot about it, and just went on doing stuff. Just a few minutes ago- which is a few hours after the gift exchange- I opened my door to go down the hall to find a note on my door with my name on it. I then remembered that there was another note I still needed to read. I gathered both of them up and read them both. Needless to say, I cried. I have some amazing people in my life. And to tell you the truth, I don't really think either of them fully comprehend what those small things meant to me. The last couple of weeks have been getting harder for me for some odd reason, and those notes really made me smile- or balled, more like.

I think we all just need to remember that even when people seem happy, we need to remember to be nice to everybody. I know it's hard. Sometimes we don't like people- whether they be family, "friends", roommates, or anybody else. Sometimes we say things we shouldn't about them. I think we need to be nice to everybody. It really means a ton. I promise that if we remember others, and remember that we don't always fully understand other people's situations, we can change the world. I really hope I can be one of those people and not judge others. Especially those who are close to us- proximity wise. We need to show others we care, even if they are quiet and don't really say anything back to us.

Sorry, this blog might be starting to just be dragging on.
All I want to say is be nice, and show others we care by simple means. Maybe we can make them smile.
-gracie

The Glad Game - Pollyanna (1960)

It's been a while since I've written. So much going on, yet hardly anything at all, really. I feel so lazy. So here is what I decided to write about today.

Have any of you ever seen the movie Pollyanna? I absolutely adore it. In it a girl named Pollyanna (well, of course that's her name) plays the Glad Game:

Times are hard these days for a lot of people, but think about it. It's the Christmas Season. A season of joy and love, of giving and happiness. We have much to be glad about, even if there are those times. I have been a lazy bum in writing. I've been doing practically nothing. When you are lazy, there isn't a sense of accomplishment, and your brain goes foggy. It's hard to be completely HAPPY- notice I didn't say content- when you are doing nothing. If you are doing something, actively trying to become a better person it is easier to play the glad game day to day. And playing the game is important.

Around Christmas time we all just assume everybody is happy, everyone is glad, but sometimes it is not so. We need to learn to use the glad game to help us being the ones who are happy and bring the down ones up. I think we all should remember to be actively doing productive things, playing the glad game- and it will help people all around us to be happy. I promise :)

Love you all
-gracie

Kind Souls

It is Thansksgiving Break. And let me tell you, I am very very much grateful right now. I can barely believe the kindness that has been shown to me. Especially last night. Wait, that makes it sound like there's a story.... Oh yeah, there is!

Yesterday me and my friend were planning on driving home, for Thanksgiving break, at noon. There was supposed to be a humongous storm coming in that night, and we wanted to leave early. We only live three hours away from home, so we figured it wouldn't be too long to get home. Oh, our luck said otherwise. A half an hour on the road our right front tire blew up- literally. It was loud, and it was scary. We pulled off the road, and started fixing it. Being typical girls, I guess, we weren't fantastic at this sort of thing. Someone pulled over for us! We were so so grateful It was past one by the time we got on the road again. We figured that we needed to stop in the nearest city to get a new tire. Little did we expect our other front tire to blow five minutes later. It was then that we panicked. We didn't have another spare tire, we were still like two and a half hours away from home. My friend called her dad and was talking to him when another person stopped for us. We tried his spare tire, but it didn't fit. So we abandoned our car and headed to the nearest city with a few of our things to wait for her dad to come down and get us. The kind man took us to a Gas Station/Dairy Queen. My friend and I were at that DQ from 2-8pm. Her dad was having a hard time finding rims, but he did and got down to us as soon as he could. We found the car after a while- it was pitch dark- and got it fixed. I rode with her dad, while my friend rode with her brother driving her car. Now remember that storm I talked about? It hit. And we didn't expect it to be as bad it was. In short- close to zero visibility, fishtailing, skidding, and 20mph on the freeway. I didn't get home until 3am.

Now, why do I tell this story? Not for anyone to sympathize, really. I tell it because I am so deeply grateful for the four men who stopped to help us. They were God Sent. We wouldn't have made it home if it wasn't for their kindness and concern for others. Granted, two of them were family members, of course they are concerned. But the two strangers? It means so much to do things for others. And gratitude for that helps so much with happiness.

If we all try to be a little more grateful in our lives, not just around Thanksgiving, I know making happiness a method will not be quite as hard. We will notice the happier things, and forgo the things that do not bring us happiness. Think about it.

Be grateful for the ones in your life, and the experiences you go through. All I ask.
-gracie

Didn't Come for the Weeds

I read this story today, it's a bit long, but it is so good:

"[My father's name was] Henry Eyering. To appreciate this story, you have to realize that it occurred when he was nearly eighty and had bone cancer. He had bone cancer so badly in his hips that he could hardly move. The pain was great. Dad... had the responsibility for the welfare farm. An assignment was given to weed a field of onions, so Dad assigned himself to go work on the farm. He never told me how hard it was, but I have met several people who were with him that day. I talked to one of them on the phone, and he said that he was weeding in the row next to Dad through much of the day. He told me the same thing that others who were there that have told me. He said that the pain was so great that Dad was pulling himself along on his stomach with his elbows. He couldn't kneel. The pain was too great for him to kneel. Everyone who has talked to me about that day has remarked how Dad smiled and laughed and talked happily with them as they worked in that field of onions.

"Now, this is the joke Dad told me on himself afterward. He said he was there at the end of the day. After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone said to him, 'Henry, good heavens!" You didn't pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway.'

"Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway.

"When Dad told me this story, I knew how tough it was. So I asked him, 'Dad, how could you make a joke out of that? How could you take it so pleasantly?' He said something to me that I will never forget, and I hope you won't. He said, 'Hal, I wasn't there for the weeds.'"

Now, I know that might've been a bit long winded, but I think that story has a message in it for everyone. Let me repeat: I think this story has a message in it for EVERYONE. 


While we all go through life, we all do things. Sometimes stupid, sometimes fun, happy, cool... Sometimes sad or hard. Then we'll turn around and realize that we took a unnecessary detour that didn't do anything really at all good for anybody else. It really may have seemed as "no point." But maybe we go through things that seem that way, but are really for a reason.


Let me tell you something- though we all go through things- we all can make it through we can. Complaining, and going about it with a horrible attitude helps nobody. I am trying everyday to be happier- and to remember that I didn't do things "for the weeds." We don't do things to make ourselves miserable, but we do it to find happiness. And by going about doing the right things happily- as Henry did- then we gain something. We gain something even in the pain that we feel each and every day as Henry did. 


I know that we all can do better at having the right attitude. That even though life seems to be the worst thing in the world sometimes, that even though school is hard, work is hard, relationships, living, friends, family are all hard... we can get through it, as long as we remember that we aren't here for the weeds. We are here in life to be the best we can. We are here to become stronger people.


Remember.
-gracie

Write it down

Short and simple: Happiness Journal.

Every day, I suggest we write down all the things that make us happy that day, and keep them in a journal. Trust me, it helps you end your day on a good note, and it helps you start the next day off on a good note too. Throughout the day, try and find things to write down at the end of the night, even if it is just one thing. My boyfriend has been making sure I do it (funny, huh?) and it really helps, trust me. I love it so much. It makes me a lot happier.

I think that is all :)

-gracie

Help Others

So I have been noticing this particular sign around campus. It doesn't seem like a big deal, right? For all of us new freshman at our university, we were required to read this book, and from what I have heard, not many of us plan on reading it again, or even keeping the book! Now look at how many have donated their books in this particular spot:

I live in a building where it is 99.9% freshman. Of all of those freshman in my dorm.... there are 2 people who thought it good to donate. Mind you, there will be three in a bit, because mine is going in there.

Why do I bring this up? Because I think a really big part of being happy is helping others. We have to take the initiative to be heard, to make a difference. When we show others we care, and we see the happiness on their faces, it really brings us a little bit of happiness too. 

Sometimes we are going through rough things. Really rough things. I will say this, though some would contradict: Happiness is a Choice. It is a "method for life." There are the situations where there is diagnosed depression. But other than that, we choose how we react to our situations. We choose to put our smile on, even if it is hard. We choose what we do to help us find that happiness. So why not choose to help others each and every day?? I believe it is important. Scratch that, I know it is.

I urge everyone to try their very best in trying to find simple ways to help others. To actually look for those ways to do it.  I promise you it will bring you happiness :) (like that smiley face!!)

-gracie

Love

This is a poster that I created for one of my design classes. It isn't anything too fancy, but I enjoyed looking for the picture and quotes to use. I have shown the picture in this before, but it kinda makes me happy inside. 

Love is important in everybody's life I believe. We all need something to love, we all need someone to love us. Don't hold onto something that loves you for the wrong reason's though, because that will only hurt you in the end. Sometimes it is hard to find something to hold onto, but we have to push forward. Be your best self and you will attract what you deserve in the end. Trust me. It is hard, but we can do it. Love will come, in many different forms, in each of our lives. Just make sure you make your "garden a place of delight," as you go your way. 

Love one another!

-gracie

Flowers

I've been thinking about flowers as of late, which is a bit ironic considering that there is now snow on the ground!   I was assigned a project to make a poster for one of my classes. As usual, I have changed my idea probably ten times. The idea that I have settled with is about flowers.

I found these two quotes:
"Some people, like flowers, give pleasure just by being." -Anon.

"Flowers are like human beings... they thrive on a little kindness."
-Fred Streeter

These quotes got me thinking. Doesn't everyone just want a little kindness shown upon them? I believe so. We all wan't to give pleasure to others. Show our friends we care for them. Why not just show it to others like we wish? Oftentimes I think people want to do it, but are afraid to. There is no reason to be afraid!

Yesterday I was very sick. Just something that happens sometimes ;) But  I was literally miserable. I really just wanted to curl up and die. I knew I would feel better the next day, but in that moment I did not want to deal with it at all. My roommate, my friends, my boyfriend, they all helped me, cared for me. They all showed me that they loved me and that they cared. They were sweet to me, and nice to be around. It meant so much to me.

I know that it really pays off to be kind to everyone you know. Sometimes you have to be cautious with what you do and say to people- but everyone deserves a little kindness. I invite anyone who reads this to try and not be rude, to not talk behind another's back, and try to love everyone even if you do not understand them or even like them all that much. It will really pay off in the end. Be kind, oh please, be kind to all.
-gracie

Pep Talk

Being positive in the morning- or right before going to bed really helps you have a better day. I think we should all try this. This little girl did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg&feature=share

Just be a little more positive. I sure will! I am even going to go talk to myself in the mirror like little Jessica... Though I probably won't stand on the counter like she did....
Smile, and Be Positive! Give yourself the pep talk you need!
-gracie

Friendship

A wise man once said: "In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of greater importance."

This is so true. I believe that if we strive to find people to help, to strive to help our friends, we can find a greater happiness. Answering prayers of a plea for happiness can be just as great as anything else, if not better, in the world. It shows true friendship.

True friendship means so much to me in my life. I love it so much. Yesterday was my birthday, and it was my first birthday not living at home. It seemed so different, almost just like it was another day, but another day with a tad bit of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, having people writing on my facebook wall and sending me texts was great, but it wasn't like I was feeling it through and through. That night my boyfriend took me out to dinner. It was nice to have some fun with him and just be together. When we got back to our dorm building, none of my friends were downstairs, and I had heard noise over on campus so I figured they were out doing stuff. I felt a tad disappointed (yes I like the word tad, deal with it :D) because I really just wanted to hang with my friends. Me and my boyfriend were sitting in my room, or rather, I was looking for something under my desk and he was sitting on my bed, when my friend Cameron called me. He asked if I could come upstairs and help him with his homework. Little did I know that I was going to get pushed into "The Loft" (dorm party room) and receive a surprise birthday party! It was quite something, let me tell you.

I had only wanted to be happy on my birthday, maybe it sounds a little selfish, just wanting a little attention. But when I got that surprise, a prayer had been answered for me. I think friendship is so truly important to being happy. I don't think we should complain about not having friends, but rather get our butts of the couch and go out there and try. And if it doesn't work, try again! AND AGAIN! Everyone needs a friend, whether they admit it or not. May I ask that we all go out there and help our friends, and gain some new ones too? I think it will make all the difference in making happiness a method for life.

I truly believe it.
-gracie

Small

I went home this weekend, and while I was there I found a neat quote: "Often small acts of kindness are all that is required to lift another."

Today was not a good day at all at one point. Someone had said something rather offensive to me and I was on the verge of going and beating him up (at least in my mind I was... probably wouldn't have happened in "real life"). I was close to crying at one point during class when he had said it. Straight from class I had to run to go tutor. My eyes were stinging, and I was trying to hold myself together. I looked up, and as I was walking by this guy that I never met before looked at me intently, smiled, and said hi. Now, don't take that the wrong way, I could tell it was truly out of the goodness of his heart and not flirting. He made my day a little brighter after that.

I can "testify" to you that little things really make a difference to someone who is hurting, or having hard times. I really know it's true, because it happens a lot to me. I realize that just doing the little things really help. That is why I try and smile at everyone I pass on the street, considering I walk everywhere. Really, try to do the small and simple things. Make it a method, and find the happiness that is there. Even in those hard times you will find some type of peace close to your heart.
-gracie

Ain't Garbage

Every thursday me and my friends have a free dinner at a local Episcopalian church. I think it is such a wonderful thing they do for us poor students. It is so nice. I always wonder how we can thank them enough for what they do for us. It is hard, because it isn't like we see them every day.

Today, on our way to the church we passed an older lady with two dogs. We stopped, of course, to pet them. The lady was very kind, and was telling us what was for dinner and how much time they put into it. She was not boasting, but rather, she was just telling us how much she loved us. She continued walking away. After our delicious FREE dinner we walked out of the church, and the older lady was walking back towards us once again. She needed help with taking the garbage cans back to the building where they would be cleaning up after dinner. We gladly helped her take them around the corner and back to the church.

I am not boasting. I am not trying to do that at all. I love helping others, and to actually do it without complaint made it so wonderful. It just felt so good to do something so simple for a little thing. It was definitely not garbage:)
-gracie

Replace Sorrow

Today I read a story about a man and a woman who had been married for sixty-four years. When someone asked the man how he was doing a few months after his wife had passed away he said this: "I am lonely, but I'm not lonesome." What does it mean? What is the difference? The man was sad that his darling wife had passed away, but he had done something to make it feel better, make himself feel better. He had replaced sorrow with "service and had displaced self-pity with selfless love."

I think it is important to work through our pains and replace it with something that does bring happiness. If we stop focusing on the sadness and work to help others, it will make us happier and stronger. We will be able to overcome anything that confronts us in our lives. I think I may have said this before, but I do believe it is true. All we have to do is work hard to help others and we will find the happiness we need to push through our own trials.
-gracie

Stop

Let's keep it simple:

"While in the pursuit of happiness, one should stop and just be happy..."

Why not stop and smell the roses?
-gracie

Newton's Second Law

Yes, I know. The title of this post is rather.... interesting. I hope you find this interesting.

Just a while ago I was reading some "spiritual" material. There was a quote in there that really hit home for me. It said:

     "Each act of service, however small and incremental, adds to our spiritual momentum. Like Newton's Second
     Law, there is a transmitting of acceleration as well as a contagiousness associated with even the small acts of
     goodness."

I believe it is true. Not everyone believes in the same things, but a life without believing in something is a lot harder than living a life without it. If we believe in something, someone, it is easier to make it through things. That is spirituality. (You don't necessarily have to be religious...) So when it says little acts of service add to our spiritual momentum, it is saying that it helps us get through things. Gives us a boost for the day emotionally.

Oh how I love helping others. It really helps you get through the day and gives you that boost of energy that you need. I love it. I really do. I hope I can find someone tomorrow that I can help. I hope you all do too.
-gracie

Quit Complaining

I haven't written for the last two days. Whoops! Just been stressed and busy with different things. But I was trying to think of things to write, and as always happen to people who try to remember things... they were forgotten. There was one thing, blessed be it, that I didn't forget.

Today I was sitting with some people in the Cafeteria at lunch, and we were just talking. I must've been thinking about something important, or not important at all, but I got pulled out of thought quite abruptly when I heard someone say "SERVICE." My friends would probably just roll their eyes at me for saying that that of all things brought me out of my reverie. One of the girls who lives in another hall of my dorm had been saying that when she started complaining too much her friend would tell her to either make a meal for her or go serve someone.

I found that a rather interesting that she would serve when she started complaining (considering the "make a meal" was a bit of a joke). I think it is important for us to remember others instead of moping in our own grief. Don't get me wrong, we're allowed to be sad! We all have hard times. We all need times to cry, times to vent. But there is a difference from trying to get over something, trying to get it out of our system, and just plain wallowing in our own grief. We need to take charge over our lives and serve others. When we are actually just being the wallowers, we need to remember others and help them. It really helps you be the person you want to be. Even if you don't see yourself as a person who can do everything in the world, I think you are. I don't even know everyone... but I do believe it.

If we were to all just stop wallowing and begin to love and help others who need it deeply, we might just be able to make that happiness a method. A method to life.
-gracie

Little Deeds

Today I noticed something very simple, but it was very nice. Me and my roommate were doing our drawing assignments (pretty close to the bane of my existence) in our room. I had to draw the doorway open, so it was open halfway and taped off so nobody would move it. Me and my roommate were talking, drawing... just enjoying ourselves as much as possible when another girl from our floor walked by. She stopped, and asked if we had any trash that needed to be taken out. I believe this is her second or third time doing this. It makes me so happy to have a floormate who is willing to do little acts of kindness to make our day. 

I think it is important for us all just to remember to help others with the simple things. They really do notice it. I know I do (and I promise it isn't because I was looking for something to blog about. It just happened! Lucky me.)

-gracie

Optimism

It's come to be that time of the school semester where you need to start "worrying" about your new schedule for the next semester. I must say, it isn't the best timing. Seeing as it is also that time during the semester where I have a gazillion and one projects to finish and turn in. I went into the Dean of CPVA (College of Performing and Visual Arts) to discuss options for my schedule next semester. I was hoping for time next semester for a job... It does not look like it will. Needless to say, I started stressing once again. It is a wonder how I learned to stress so much. I don't think I was this bad just a few months ago. 

Anyways, I was sitting in my room looking at a future class schedules and the times for classes I needed to take. I was freaking out, to say the least. I would be taking classes as early as 8 and classes that ended as late as 6 pm... My boyfriend was talking to me, and he started telling me just not to worry, that if things were right that they would work out. He is great, always being optimistic. I decided that if happiness isn't a destination, I need to stop worrying about the future and begin to making my happiness a METHOD. 

If only everyone were optimistic... It might, just might help the whole world turn for the better. 

Let's make our happiness a method, shall we?

-gracie

Helping Hands

Yes, I know that the title to this blog is very much a cheesy one, but it really means something. This post is short, so don't let it throw you for a loop or anything. I still think that it has meaning to it.

I am a graphic design major, and one of the required classes is Drawing 1 and 2. I am in Drawing 1 right now, and may I say it is the bane of my existence. I am not a drawer, so when I started working on my self portrait assignment I was so frustrated I broke down into tears. I wanted it to actually look something similar to me, or maybe better! But no... it looked like I was the Phatom of the Opera in female form. The simplest thing turned my mood around. My roommate is a wonderful, wonderful friend to me. We came here together, knowing each other in high school. She is a phenomenal artist, and all she had to do to turn my mood around was to help me learn how to draw my eyes. Simple. Short. Helpful.

Thank you so much my dear roommate. You helped me realize that we all need to be aware of other's needs and that we all need to use our talents to help others. Oh how it helps others find that happiness we all are searching for.
-gracie

Short and Sweet

Today was actually quite a wonderful day. I personally was bouncing around in just a fantastic mood. I am a graphic design major, so I decided to go early to the Mac Lab to work on some projects. I was in there from 1:30-5. I was really trying to make my projects good. I wanted my teacher to be proud. I went back to my classroom at the end of the schedule class time, since I was in the Mac Lab doing the project, to see what my teacher thought. To put it simply.... he didn't like it. And you could tell. I wanted to cry in the moment. I ran outside and,  though I am a college student, I called home to talk to my mommy. My little 12 year old brother answered. He told me my mom wasn't home. I was upset, I wanted to talk to her so bad. Just wanted to have a mommy hug. Right before I hung up so I could call my mom's cell, my brother said: "Have a GREAT day."

He didn't realize what he did there for me. He didn't realize that he gave me a smile, a longing for a brother hug. A longing of joy that my little brother knew when I needed that. I love that kid. He will definitely be a great man someday.

I learned from this that even if you don't know what is going on with someone, it is important to pay a little attention and let them know you care. Give them well wishes. Help them feel loved, like I've said earlier. Just saw something short and sweet to make their day.
-gracie

Key to Happiness

I discovered something awesome today. Like I said before, we all are looking for stuff to make us happy, right? Well, what is the key to being happy? Someone said something to me today that really hit home for me. They said: Love is the source of happiness. What do you think? I think it's true.

Think about it. You are really happy when you feel loved. I know it's true for me. I love the feeling of a hug or a just a simple compliment once in a while. I've also found that I feel that love when you show love to others. I think everybody needs to feel that love, the love of a friend. I know that this post is short, and simple... but I really think everybody needs love. What do you say? Whoever reads this, will you do something to help another, to show them they are loved?? I make a promise to you that this week I will. I hope you all will too.

Loves to all!
-gracie

Just to be Nice

I always love hearing about the good e xperiences my friends have with complete strangers. It sometimes can be totally hysterical, others somber (yes, I did just use the word somber). Tonight, though, my friends told me about something I found rather heartwarming.

Today me and two friends went out of town to do some shopping, we were hoping two of my other new friends would catch up with us later. They never did. I made sure they were alright, but none of us knew what exactly happened. Apparently my two friends were on their way back to our dorm from a nearby city when the gas light came on in their car. And it wasn't just almost empty, the gauge said it was empty. They were a little freaked out, considering they were practically in the middle of nowhere. They found a gas station, but get this- it had no more gas. What kind of gas station runs out of gas? Apparently this one does. They were a little frantic, and by mere circumstance they found someone who had a can of gas in the back of their truck. My two friends were about to pay this lady for the gas they used when the lady refused the money. Not only did she refuse the money, but she ran away from them, or so the story is told. She let them have quite a bit of gas for free.

It seems like a simple story, but really, it means a lot to me. To think that someone genuinely did something out of the kindness of their hearts was beautiful. What would the world be like if we all just did something simple like that every day? Like I've said before, smile, write notes.... maybe even help someone who can't get back to their home. I think it's important to just look for those opportunities. I have found that it really does make a difference when you do something nice each day. It brings a smile, especially when you are having a hard time.

I hope whoever reads this takes this to thought.. Maybe we should pass on the kindness and do something simple each day, what do you say?
-gracie

Simple Smile

Have you ever thought about the power of a smile? My friends can attest to the fact that one thing that comes out of my mouth at least once a day- usually a quite bit more...- is "SMILE!" I know I am annoying, I know people probably get sick of me quickly. But nobody really realizes how much power one little smile has.

Today wasn't a horrible day. In fact, I loved it a lot. I guess it is understandable that someone who had a great day is hard to believe when said person tells you that it is easy to turn a day around. I won't be that said person. I know that it is hard. This last week has been hard on me. I've missed my family and friends deeply. But today was different. Though on all other days I told someone, my roommate, my friends, my boyfriend, it was still hard for me personally. Today, I decided to smile. I decided to push aside the thoughts of the stress of all my projects and other responsibilities. I decided to smile and be happy. It made all the difference.

One of my favorite songs of all times is by Carrie Underwood. I know that Country isn't always a favorite genre of music, but this song is good: "Lessons Learned." In the song is says:
     "And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
     And everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
     Every change, life has thrown me,   
     I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
     I'm grateful, for every scar, 
     Some pages turned,
     Some bridges burned,
     But there were lessons learned."

This song just helps me remember that if something bad happens, we move on. Some pages turned, some bridges burned, lessons learned. 

This post wasn't necessarily about any one 'tender mercy' or good deed I saw today. But I thought it was just a good thing to share. I just like thinking about being happy and simple things that help us along that way.

Smile ;)

-gracie

Make it a Method

I decided one thing- or rather- I decided to finally embrace one truth: Everything everyone does is only because they want to be happy. There are things in life that we all want, things we think we need every day. There are things that bring us happiness, bring us long-lasting happiness, and things that are just plain short-lived until you do it again and again. I think it is the little things that make us happy, little things each and every day that are simple. This is my idea, my method, to life.

This blog is just my way of showing off the "good" I see each day, things that make me happy, and things that I see make others happy. I just want people, if anyone ever chooses to read this blog, to see that there is hope in the future even when life seems so hard. That's all I want, is for those of you looking into this digital world to find happiness in each day. 

Today was an interesting day, it wasn't what I would call wonderful, fantastic, or even great. It was just an average day like any other. I am a college student, living in a old dorm. My floor is very close knit in some ways, but many of us still don't know each other that well, and it's already been almost 2 months since we've moved in. So I grabbed a post-it note pad and started writing notes to stick on the doors of some of the girls on the opposite end of the hall. Let me tell you, I did not know why I did it... But I did, and it just made me happy to think that I might be the carrier of a simple ray of happiness to someone who might need it. I'm not trying to boast in myself in any way, believe me. I just wanted to express the joy it brought to me when I was trying to bring joy to others. Even in simple ways.

Well, that is all for my first post. We'll see if this blog ever does anything. I hope so. Oh, how I want everyone to find some happiness out there.

-gracie