There are certain things that, when you're confronted with them, instantly make you happy. Of course, these rather cryptic "things" range from person to person; so, in light of recent events and because I could use a dose of inspiration today, I've decided to amass a list of things that always lighten my mood and hopefully inspire a little happiness in you all as well.
{It's not all the things, of course, but just a few that came to mind}
I absolutely, without a doubt, love candlelight.
Especially outside.
You can call it whatever you want: "romantic lighting", "amber light", "dramatic light"--they all drench their surroundings with a rich, illuminating essence that casts a cheerful glow everywhere.
Really, the right lighting can change my mood entirely.
I hate fluorescent lighting, which seems just too cold, manufactured, and sterile for me.
I like warm, yellow light that changes the color of a room or a night sky and doesn't overexpose.
I won't pretend it's day when it's really night--some things require to be left alone, in a more natural state of affairs.
When I have my own house, I'm going to hang bottles and jars from a tree in my backyard.
Long, colored bottles hung by their necks that glimmer in the sunlight and transform the yellow light into multicolored flecks of greens, pinks, blues, and rich, vibrant reds.
Then, at night, we could put candles in the bottles and jars and lanterns and light up the sky like winter fireflies on a crisp evening in November, or simply harbor a few beams of yellow light dancing under the stars mid-July.
Mmm, good music.
There's nothing like it.
It can build you up, make you think, and help you forget your troubles.
It brings people together, from all walks of life, who can--for a moment--lose themselves in the melody of a good song.
It expresses the most painful memories with a somber lullaby, or bring the most jubilant memories to life with a key change here and a crescendo there. We allot different rhythms and chord progressions and melodies to different emotions, creating endless possibilities in the musical world.
My music tastes range from broadway showtunes to classic rock to modern pop to the occasional rap song.
My favorite at the moment is jazz, which I consider to be the personification of my bewilderment with the forties: Casablanca and old black and white films, swing bands, men in uniform, and timeless, classic fashion.
You'll see what I mean if you click here or here. They remind me of grainy black-and-white photos, rainy Sundays, and tea. There's something positively lovely about the crooner generation...it's inexplicably calming.
Consider yourself relaxed.
I'm a chronic daydreamer.
I catch myself having spent an hour staring off "in a world of my own" more often than not, a habit that used to annoy me, but have now come to embrace.
To you nonbelievers, yes. It may sound cliche and a bit like a reverberation of Barney's personal philosophies, but being the possessor of an active imagination is, in my opinion, one of the most beneficial qualities a person can have. After all, weren't many of the things we have learned to love merely figments of someone's imagination?
It's true, I won't pretend that I'm as brilliant as Walt Disney or Benjamin Franklin--whose many inventions and advancements in modern society continue to benefit the American people even today--but I like to think of myself as a dreamer.
And perhaps, someday, those dreams will come true.
After all, "walking gets boring when you learn how to fly".
I don't care what you say;
Every single person, whether great or small, has impacted the world in some way.
It is our duty as human beings to give back to the world, and we do so in everything we do (or...unfortunately...don't do).
"It's A Wonderful Life" comes to mind. Huh.
You can either change the Earth for better or for worse, but whether or not you choose which one is of no consequence.
Merely being here--interacting with other people, falling in love, buying groceries, sending a card--you've imprinted a bit of yourself, here.
Just keeping that in mind keeps me motivated and almost purposeful. Each and every day we make a difference in someone's life, through a smile or a hug or a compliment--and whenever someone extends a smile my way, it makes me happy.
Pass the happiness on.
Surround yourself with lovely people, lovely places, and lovely things :)
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