5 everyday things that bring me happiness:
- Food. I love food. I can’t eat meat or dairy but I love anything vegan. I just made myself a scrambled tofu this weekend that was really good. Well Your World has a great recipe. I used to make tofu scramble on the stove, and it was good but there is always the issue with cleaning out the pan afterwards. This one is delicious, and for a while I was putting the potatoes in with the rest of the ingredients when I put them in with the oven, but someone taught me a good tip and that is to boil the potatoes in an Insta-pot first so that when I combine them with the tofu, vegetables and other ingredients the potatoes aren’t super hard. I would bake the tofu scramble for twenty minutes, but would always have to put it in longer since the diced potatoes were still pretty hard to chew. Boiling the potatoes made them softer, but of course, I made sure to dice the potatoes before putting them in the Insta-pot.
2. Spending time outside. Before the COVID-19 pandemic I would often take my outside time for granted, but when I spent a lot of time in quarantine my attitude towards going outside changed. I think I gained a deeper appreciation for spending time walking in the park and around the neighborhood, and I burned some calories and got my body moving. Yesterday I didn’t walk too long but I spent some time walking around the park and around the neighborhood and I saw the neighborhood cat walking around outside. The other day I saw a woodpecker and it was just really beautiful to watch. And a couple of weeks ago I went to someone’s garden to admire their beautiful abundant display of freshly budding irises. And of course, the bluebonnets are in season and I love walking in the field of bluebonnets. I also love seeing the chickens in a farm located across the street. And the squirrels racing each other around the thick tree trunks.
3. Reading books. I love going to the library and have loved libraries and bookstores since I was small. Something about the smell of the pages, the feel of the pages, and how the writing of each word blends so well together entices me about books. Every time I go to the library I end up checking out loads and loads of books, and sometimes I don’t get to finish them all. I mostly enjoy fiction but have read some good non fiction lately.
4. Spending time with loved ones. I enjoy spending time with the people in my life I love and connecting with others. I took a lot of my friendships with others for granted but when I went into quarantine I started to appreciate the connections I made with people.
5. Honestly, life. It may sound cheesy but life itself is an everyday thing that makes me feel appreciation. It’s easy for me to take a lot of things for granted, but it wasn’t until I faced a lot of my own inner struggles that I started to gain more perspective on life. It’s still a challenge sometimes to see the larger picture but I have seen over time how practicing gratitude has helped me become happier and more fulfilled. Of course, I still have big dreams I want to strive towards, but this past decade of facing all these challenges and victories has taught me to appreciate the journey instead of only focusing on the outcome of the situation. Even just something as simple as waking up out of bed I have started to appreciate more.
The Arts Are Life 