Six things for the second day of happiness

Today I began my happiness journal.  (It's really just my regular journal, but with an extra name.) My assignment is to list six things that I can or do do regularly to create happiness and then to discuss how and why I do or do not make space to enjoy them. 

The six things are:

1.     Ride my bike.

2.     Read.

3.     Swim.

4.     Ski.

5.     Listen to loud music.

6.     Eat good food.

Three of those things are physical activities.  The truth is I could have made the entire list out of various kinds of workouts.  I rely on exercise to make me happy in a healthy way.  The three I chose involve going outside, which always adds bonus points, although they have the inherent problems of dark and rain.  Skiing, obviously, is also seasonal.  Time isn’t really a problem; if I make the effort, I can arrange the time.  The hard part is getting going.  While I get energy from using my body, I need to have a minimum amount to start.  I have been working on getting more sleep to attack some of the underlying exhaustion.

Two of the other three things I try to build into my day by linking them with the drive to get T. from school.  I don’t enjoy driving, but it is much better when I can sing my head off and amuse other drivers with my car dancing.  I get to school early because I am always early and I read in the car.  Loud music during gym workouts is another bonus point situation.  And I often read more than usual on Thursday (the official day of getting nothing done).

Good food comes with several challenges, some of which I cope with by organization.  I plan weekly menus.  Since I cook dinner, I am (somewhat) in charge.  Brent is a carnivore and Syd is a vegetarian.  I work many evenings and so does Brent.  Syd has a busy schedule between work, workouts, and his fiancée.  T.R. may well decide to eat his weight in mac and cheese after school.  Therefore, I never know who will be eating dinner.  I have mostly surrendered my hope of eating together most nights.  Which means that the daily puzzle is how to cook a meal for an unknown number of people that all of them are willing to eat and that is reasonably healthy.  I get derailed by tiredness (“Call the pizza man…”), or discouragement (“What is this?  I’m going to make some eggs…”), or scheduling (“I forgot… I have to go to this thing tonight…”).  I keep at it because good food nourishes body and soul, but I wish it were more seamless.