365 Ways to Live Happy (32 page)

You know what they say about language — use it or lose it. Are you a Francophile? Do you love all things French? Did you study French in high school or college? Doesn't it make perfect sense then to cultivate friendships with others who share your passion for French culture? One way to find some new friends is to attend meetings of social clubs with a focus on French language. There, you can hear guest speakers, learn information that perhaps you didn't know about French history, language, and culture. Oh, and you can practice your language skills if you're not filling your mouth with delicious petits four that someone brought to the meeting.

Book lovers adore bookstores. They also enjoy a cup of good coffee or tea while they read. It's no accident that while many book shops have added refreshment areas where you can purchase a cup of your favorite coffee or tea, coffee houses also sell newspapers and, in some cases, books that the shop is promoting. So, if books are your thing, head off for a delightful afternoon of reading and sipping at a local bookstore. Get to know others who share your passion for literature. It's a good thing to widen your circle of friends. Happiness is doing what you love with others who love doing the things you do.

For those times when you want someone to quiz you or share notes from that last lecture, nothing beats a classmate willing to study with you. If there is someone in your class or workshop that you find intriguing or is new to the school or program, ask that person to study with you. Say something to spark a conversation. Imagine how welcoming it feels to be in a new environment and not know anyone and then to have a stranger invite you to study. Most likely, that individual will be as supportive of you as you are of him and, of course, you both want to excel. It's a win-win for both of you.

A thoughtful way to send off a longtime neighbor who is moving away is to give her a gift that will always remind her of the years of history you shared. If the person leaving loves gardening, ask your neighbors who have gardens to put seeds of favorite plants into white paper envelopes. Tuck the envelopes into a card to give your neighbor on the day she moves. Or if she loves quilting, ask others on your street to contribute either a piece of fabric or a quilting square. Present the stack of fabric unassembled so that the individual leaving the neighborhood can spend happy hours sewing the pieces together in the way that she wants. The gift of seed will produce plants, a yearly reminder of how much you all loved and appreciated her. A keepsake quilt will remind her of the sense of belonging and togetherness you all have shared.

Do you love antique furniture, art objects, and rugs? Do descriptive terms like Louis XVI, Victorian, William Morris, and Jacobean style get you excited? If you know of an auction house in your area, plan on seeing the items on one of the viewing days preceding an auction. If the auction house has a website, you may be able to view the items there and possibly even place a bid on an item that sparks your passion. Imagine, for example, finally finding and being able to bid on that that seventeenth-century copper gilt crucifix clock that you always wanted. Check out Sotheby's latest catalogue or go online and look at some antique offerings from different auction companies. Ignite your passion for antiques, invite a friend or two along for the fun, and go in search of that piece of history you hope to find and claim.

Are you dissatisfied with politicians? Do you hope for change? Do you hold a brighter vision for America and the world? Mahatma Gandhi once advised people to be the change that they wanted to see in the world. That means to get off the couch, away from the television, and go out into the world and do something to bring about that change. Join with others who feel as passionate as you about creating a more meaningful life and a better future through political action. Living and working toward a more meaningful and purpose-driven life is an important path to achieving happiness.

Blogging, short for Web logging, provides a venue for putting your message into the world and to generate responses to your message by readers. Some people refer to blogs as online journals while others consider a blog as a collection of images, messages, data, or media objects that once posted can be viewed via a browser. A blog's postings are usually in chronological order with the most recent entries appearing first. Blogging can be an effective way for you to express your passion and focus on whatever it is that causes you to feel joy. You can even use your blog to generate income. When your interest or passion dovetails into a subject that readers care about, your blog is more likely to draw responses from readers and, thus, grow. So give blogging a try.

What would summer be without music camps? Do you love to play the saxophone? Keyboards? Electric violin or guitar or drums? How about singing for the opera or musicals? Check out music camps offered in your region of the country. They aren't just for kids anymore. Some focus on a single instrument. Others are geared toward chamber orchestra or band music. If you are a beginner, there are camps for adults who are just beginning to think about music for themselves. Some camps are associated with competitions. Many offer scholarships if you can't afford to attend. To find one that is right for you, search for “adult beginner music camp.” Nurture your aspiration to learn music because it will be a source of joy throughout your life.

If making a positive contribution to the lives of sick children and their families would bring meaning to your life and give you some enjoyment knowing you are helping others, consider donating some time each week to work as a volunteer in a children's hospital or on a hospital's pediatric, neonatal, or nursery wing. People who serve as volunteers in children's hospitals are often a dedicated, committed group from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Hard-working volunteers are always needed and appreciated by hospital staff, the patients, and their families. When you give friendship and compassion to others in their time of need, some say it flows back to you in abundance.

If you enjoy the company of young people and could mentor a child, consider contacting Big Brothers, Big Sisters. It is the oldest mentoring organization in the United States, has facilities all over the country, and has been serving young people, ages six through eighteen, for more than a century. National research statistics published by the organization assert a positive enduring impact upon the lives of children who are mentored through that program. For example, many have better family relations, become more confident about doing schoolwork, and are less likely to skip school. In addition, a large percentage of those children and teens involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters are 27 percent less likely to use alcohol and 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs. The time you spend mentoring could optimize a young person's chances for academic success and be a source of happiness for you and everyone involved in that child's life.

Introducing your children to soccer may end up costing you a lot of time, but you might soon feel it is worth every minute. You can learn a lot about your child and her friends when you are the one transporting them to their soccer matches. But besides having a front row seat to their conversations, you can feel confident knowing that they have a safe driver to shuttle them to and from games. Most likely, your children will appreciate the fact that their mom or dad cares enough to drive them to all those practices. Although at times, it may feel like drudgery, when your children are teenagers and can drive themselves, you'll be able to look back and feel happy knowing that you chose not to miss out on those moments before they could drive.

Not all team sports have to be formally organized through a school, church, or park and recreation department. If you have the backyard pool and all the children in the neighborhood hang out there anyway, give an added dimension to their fun in the pool by organizing them into swim teams. Encourage them to demonstrate a competitive spirit while helping them develop an appreciation for good sportsmanship. Share in their joy as you watch them evolve as individuals and team players.

Children are expert in the art of play, and they are natural born teachers. If you are feeling stressed out, overworked, doggedly tired, take a timeout for play. It strengthens the parent/child bond. Don't remember how? Playing with your baby or toddler can get you laughing, relieve stress, increase spontaneity, and inspire creativity. You probably don't require a child development expert to explain to you what floor time is. Get down on the same level as your youngster and give your full attention to him or her. Permit your child to lead the way for your own inner child to come out.

If you've got a tree in your yard strong enough to support a tree house, get the children in your family involved in helping you create the overall design, shop for the wood and nails, and help you build it. Not only will your children love you for creating something that will surely give them many pleasurable hours of fun and memories to last throughout their lives, but you'll create a special space to share with them the child in you.

Young children, especially boys, it seems, love to play with cars, trucks, boats, and airplanes. If you've ever watched a seven-to ten-year-old child operating a remote radio-controlled car (also called an RC car), you probably noticed that sooner or later a group has gathered, much to the child's delight, to watch the fancy vehicle maneuvers that he orchestrates through a hand-held controller. Some middle school and high school science teachers have used RC cars as tools for teaching radio-control robotics and programming. Encourage your children to express their interests and develop them into hobbies. You'll enjoy helping them while they are young, and you'll be even happier if, as young adults, they decide to pursue meaningful careers in academic disciplines such as science.

Did you know that you can make a difference in a child's life by just cleaning out your closet? Many children in certain regions of the United States (such as in Appalachia) do not have even one pair of shoes. A decent pair of shoes is important where cuts and scrapes and splinters could become a health risk, especially in places where there is little or no possibility of receiving medical care. Whether a child has been the victim of poverty, natural disaster, domestic violence, or abuse and neglect, receiving a pair of shoes — a basic necessity — can ensure that his feet are protected. Your donation of money and/or your children's shoes or new child-size shoes enables Soles-4Souls to provide footwear to children who are in desperate need. Think about how happy you will feel knowing that the shoes that your children had outgrown and that were gathering dust on a closet floor have found another home. That's something to be truly happy about. Check out
www.soles4souls.org
.

If you love to read, spend some time reading to children. You can read books to kids anywhere — at home, at a local library, an infant and. toddler daycare center, a nursery school, a doctor or dentist waiting room, in a hospital waiting room, or even at clubs for kids such as Cub Scouts or Brownies. Just be sure that your book is appropriate for the age group. A funny book will inspire laughter and you'll likely laugh, too, because the happy laughter of children is infectious.