Jackie Stanley

Oh, Happy Day!

The pursuit of happiness is guaranteed by our Constitution; fortunately it does not take an act of Congress to put more joy into your life. Here’s a simple plan you can follow: over the course of the next 30 days devote one hour engaging in each of the following activities. If you do so, by the end of the month you will have created 24 hours, or a full day, of happiness. Accept this challenge and it may mark the beginning of a happier (and as a consequence, healthier) you!

1. Bling, Bling

Go window shopping for really, really expensive jewelry. Try on a bracelet that costs more than your car and slip on a few rings that retail for more money than you make in a year.

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

Rent this classic movie starring James Stewart. The holiday flick is guaranteed to fill your heart with glee.

3. My People, My People

Go to a large mall, public library, or other place where the masses gather and spend time people watching. Pay close attention to what makes them laugh and smile.

4. Reach Out and Touch Someone

Pick up the phone and call five of your closest friends. Tell them that just thinking of them puts a smile on your face. Reminisce about the fun times you’ve shared in the past and plan to do something really fun in the future.

5. Mend Fences

Is there someone with whom you have become estranged or simply lost touch? Devote one hour reconnecting with them. Apologize. Accept responsibility for your actions. Forgive them. Let go. Bury the hatchet. Do whatever it takes to revive your relationship.

6. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Prepare an extremely healthy and absolutely delicious four-course meal for your family, and then spend one hour eating slowly, listening, talking, and enjoying each other’s company.

7. Enjoy the Bubbly

The shortest distance between stress and bliss is a long hot bubble bath. Turn off the telephone and put a sign on the door to limit distractions. Pay attention to how the water feels, relax, and enjoy the bubbles.

8. Plan the Great Escape

If money and time were no object, where would you go on vacation and what would you do? Contact a travel agent and plan your dream getaway. Remember, this is your fantasy, so think big!

9. Joyful Noises

Listen to your favorite music. But, here’s the catch: don’t do anything else while you are listening—no driving, washing dishes, typing, or folding clothes. Just listen to the sounds, feel the rhythms, and hum the melodies.

10. Roses are Red

If you have never experienced the thrill of reading poetry aloud, you don’t know what you have been missing. Poetry has been described as “a shorthand for the soul.” If you don’t know where to begin, visit a bookstore or library and ask for assistance. Search until you find a poem that makes your heart sing, and then commit it to memory.

11. Make a Difference

Do something to help people and to make the world a better place than you found it. You don’t have to try to save the world; just go outside and pick up the trash in your community.

12. “Drench Yourself in Human Gravy”

Those are the words writer Zora Neale Hurston used to encourage her readers to invest more time in getting to know the people that cross their paths. You can start with your neighbors. Find out who they are and what they care about.

13. Simplify, Simplify!

Clean out your closet. Throw away everything you don’t like or don’t need anymore. Clutter creates confusion and anxiety. Remind yourself that cleanness is next to happiness.

14. Walk the Walk

Take a long leisurely stroll. Pay attention to your breathing and how it feels each time your feet hit the ground. Think about how blessed you are to have the ability to control your movements.

15. Laugh It Up!

Invite the kids in your life to spend time telling knock-knock jokes. The more, the merrier and the younger the kids, the better. There is only one rule: don’t use a book or other source; create the jokes as you go along.

16. Make a Happy List

Make a list of your favorite things. Be sure to include your favorite foods, people, places, songs, books, and movies. And don’t forget your favorite colors, sounds, and textures.

17. Doodlee Dee, Doodlee Doo

Pull out pens, crayons, markers and paints, and large blank sheets of paper. Spend an hour doodling. Draw, write and sketch whatever pops into your head. Give yourself permission to wander, explore, and create.

18. Dance the Night Away

Professional football players routinely create dances to perform in the end zone each time they score a touchdown. Why should they have all the fun? Create your own happy dance, or a jig you can do to express the victories in your everyday life.

19. Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Visit an arboretum or flower garden. Spend time smelling the roses and taking in nature’s bounty. Consider ways you can use fresh flowers to enhance your home and office.

20. Tea Time

The health benefits of tea are well documented. One cup a day is filled with enough antioxidants to keep the doctor away. Experiment with different varieties until you find one that you absolutely adore. Then create a special tea-drinking ritual. Perhaps you can purchase a special pot and tray to be used when serving the tea.

21. Dear Friend

Revive the lost art of letter writing. How can you help but smile when you find a personal letter buried inside your bills and junk mail? Send the special someones in your life a handwritten letter. Inquire about their lives. Offer words of encouragement. Share some good news from your life.

22. Easy Reading

Check out the book 14000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer. Skim the pages and use the list as inspiration to create your own list of things that you are happy about. Make it a point to add something to your list each day.

23. Rub-A-Dub

You have not really lived until you have had a full body massage. It is one of life’s simple pleasures that can help ease tension and makes you feel years younger.

24. Say Thank You

Bow down before God (or whomever you deem to be the source of your existence) and say “thank you.” Express your gratitude for being alive and offer your appreciation for another opportunity to live, breathe, and move.