The 100 Happy Days Challenge - Part 1

Whilst scrolling through my facebook feed on the twenty-eighth of March, I came across something called the 100 Happy Days challenge. When I first clicked on the link, I was greeted with the question, "Can you be happy for 100 days in a row?" Underneath that, it said, "You don't have time for this, right?"

Surely, they were not asking me to feel nothing but happiness for 100 days in a row. The effort of that would be exhausting, and would probably end up having the opposite effect. More likely, they were asking that I take five minutes out of my day to do something that might make me happy. My curiosity piqued, I read on.

The challenge was that for 100 days in a row, I share on the social media outlet of my choice a picture of something that made me feel happy. Why? Well, according to the website, those who have completed the challenge start off their days in a better mood, become more optimistic, receive more compliments, and even fall in love during the challenge.

I am always looking for new ways to self-care. Besides that, over the past few months, I have been feeling weighed down and pessimistic due to a situation beyond my control. I quickly accepted the challenge.

I have decided as well to include my Hubpages followers in the journey, and post a hub every twenty-five days detailing my progress.

A tasty dessert at the end of a meal out.

Today I went to the fitness center and spent an hour walking on the treadmill while listening to music and reading.

One of my cats, Kerry, got herself into a very funny position on the sofa. I was going to post a picture of my massage room at work set up just the way I like it, but Kerry made me laugh out loud.

Got up at 7am this morning, even though I don't have to, since I don't start work until mid-afternoon on Mondays. Getting up early puts me in a good mood early in the day, since I have time to be productive before work.

I heard a song I like on the radio at work. For the second day in a row.

I took my new car through the car wash. I like going through the car wash, and I like the way my car looks when I come out.

I had a little time to meditate before clients started at work today. I felt like I was more on my game than I have been in awhile.

This song by Shaina Noll was played for me once at the end of a John F. Barnes seminar. I listened to it today. The lyrics never fail to move me:

"How could anyone ever tell you

you were anything less than beautiful?

How could anyone ever tell you

you were less than whole?

How could anyone fail to notice

that your loving is a miracle?

How deeply you're connected to my soul."

As I was taking a walk around the block, a happy dog came up to sniff me, wagging his tail.

On my father's birthday, my family watched the premier of Game of Thrones: Season Four over cake and ice cream. Since Downton Abbey ended, we've been missing our Sunday family TV time, and we're glad to have something to replace it.

Put clean sheets on my bed this morning. The thought of curling up between them tonight is quite lovely.

It's never fun to crawl out of your warm bed and face a chilly morning, even one relatively warmer than it has been. But getting into the warm shower is both pleasant and invigorating.

It was a very nice day, so my best friend and I got together to go walking and have dinner after work.

I ordered a tub of some aromatherapy salt scrub after trying some of it at work. The stuff I tried at work was peppermint, but I prefer the smell of the pumpkin spice to the peppermint. Smells kind of like eggnog. Plus it makes my hands and feet soft.

I reestablished a connection with someone precious with whom I had lost touch for several months.

A dark sky and a rumble of thunder that signal the approach of a spring storm.

I got to leave work early on Day 17.

I have been practicing French braids on my own hair. I had a fairly successful attempt today.

A patient at work complimented my telephone voice.

On the way home from work, I got the music from "Guys and Dolls" stuck in my head. So, when I got home, I downloaded it. I have not heard the music since theater camp more than ten years ago, but I still remember most of the songs. Oh, if I were a bell, I'd be ringing!

After washing and folding massage sheets and towels for a good part of my day at work, the last thing I really want to do when I get home is deal with my own laundry--at least, no more than I have to in order to ensure that my work clothes are clean the next day and that I have underwear, socks, and something clean to sleep in. But tonight I buckled down and folded a couple baskets of laundry. The feeling of accomplishment was quite satisfying.

Perhaps you have heard about the Honeymaid "This is Wholesome" ad. It raised some controversy by featuring a gay couple with a baby. Watching that ad, and the follow-up response to the negative comments, made me happy today.

The message on a pair of chopsticks at the restaurant where I had lunch: "Chopsticks have nothing profound to say. You're thinking of fortune cookies."

A new delicious blend from Adagio Teas arrived for me today.

Open windows upstairs make the whole house smell like springtime.

One thing I realize right away is that I have an easier time coming up with a list of things that upset or annoy me on any given day than I do coming up with one thing that makes me feel happy. But I suppose that is why it is a challenge. Although it does not specify that each day needs to have a different happy picture, I have decided that posting something different each day makes the most sense.

Thus far, the biggest benefit of the challenge so far is that it is forcing me each day to find something positive and acknowledge it. And not just acknowledge it, but linger over it. Find a way to visually represent it, either with a picture I take myself, or with a stock image. At certain times, it has felt like a huge effort. But so far, the effort has been worthwhile.