Celebrating Small Joys on a Morning Hike

This morning I deviated from my regular routine by going on a hike in the mountains near my home for exercise. My daughter and my dog were my companions. (For those who are dog lovers, I have an Entlebucher – a Swiss Mountain Dog named Porter.) It was nice to enjoy nature, but I have to confess that celebrating small joys didn’t come into my mind until we heard the sound of a small brook and I began to think of the Ginger Brook Hollow girls. When I started to see the things around me with the enthusiasm these girls, the world became wrapped in small joys. I could imagine each girl’s celebration of the things I was seeing.

 

I could imagine Louisa picking a few of the pink wild roses, the blue chicory, and the yellow mullen flowers to press. Emmaline would have asked her to pick a few extras and press them for her in exchange for some wise sayings. I could see them working together, Emmaline writing words of wisdom in her best hand, and April framing them in pressed flowers to hang on the wall. There were other flowers as well, and I was amazed how nature combined the colors as I saw a patch of yellow flowers much like small sunflowers as the background for little purple daisies.

 

Half way up the wash we found a horse shoe. It had been well worn enough that it was probably not one that would be put back on the horse, so we picked it up thinking how happy Johannah would be to have such a treasure, and I certainly welcomed prospects of good luck. It has been many years since I have discovered a horseshoe along a trail. 

 

As I thought of Kathryn I became keenly aware of the chirping and twittering of birds all around me. And as we skirted deep mud puddles I thought of how much fun the girls had making mud pies and cakes at Grandma Sunday’s house, especially Meg. Some of the mud had cracked and dried into mud curls that Suzannah would have liked, but she would have been more enthralled by the soft feel of the flannel mullen leaves. I am sure she would have loved to sew a soft flannel blanket that felt just like them.

 

We saw yellow and black tiger swallow tail and purple butterflies, and we saw a field filled with blue dragon flies breakfasting on mosquitoes. I was especially appreciative of the dragon flies having just been bitten by a mosquito on my forehead just in time to sport a lovely red bite on Sunday. We also found a few green rocks that April would have kept, pretending they were jade. They were much too light to be jade, but since she had never really seen jade that wouldn’t matter to her. She would be just as happy in pretending that is what she had.

 

We were in bear and cougar country, so when Porter stopped and gave a low and soft growl we were all too happy to hike back to where we had started. At least returning was down hill, so we had enough breath to sing songs together hoping our songs would keep us from startling any wild things that may be out. I arrived home hungry, but revived by all the small joys of the morning, and ready to go to work. How different my morning might have been without the simple celebration of noticing and appreciating small joys.

Is Instant Satisfaction the Best Choice?

The Candy Bar Now or $100 for Later

In our day and time, we have so much and things move so fast that we often take it for granted that we can and should have satisfaction instantly.  When we aren’t satisfied we expect a replacement for our choice to be there, and soon the choice of living for ”now”  becomes a habit and a way of life.

Several years ago I taught school. We worked with a class money system. Once or twice each year I would choose to reward an especially great accomplishment with a choice. I offered a candy bar now or $100 of class money and an opportunity to buy the candy bar later. The $100 was worth approximately 7 candy bars, but I was always surprised how few students took the $100, especially the first time I offered it. Most of the students were caught up in living only for the moment without looking ahead. I hoped somehow I could help them understand that there was often more to life than the immediate present. 

Time after time this pattern varied little, except in one class. The first time I made this offer in this class, all the students involved chose the candy bar except one, Cory. Cory quietly took the $100 and watched the other students eat their candy bars. They did not make the choice any easier for Cory, who probably felt somewhat set apart from the rest as they made sure he knew their bars tasted delicious. However, Cory facilitated one of the greatest lessons that class learned. A week later when I had a new supply of candy bars I offered to sell them for class money. Only two or three students had the money to buy, but Cory smiled, brought out his $100 bill, and purchased 6 candy bars, one for each member of his family, while the rest of the class looked on. Gone were their self satisfied looks from the week before, replaced by the understanding of what they had passed up in their haste for instant pleasures.  Several months later when I made this same offer to this class, only one student took the candy bar. 

I personally smile at the saying, “Life is uncertain; eat desert first.” Yet as I have watched myself and others over the years I have often thought of the candy bar or the $100. Without thinking ahead people will usually take instant gratification or a cheap pleasure over future opportunities or things of quality that may be obtained with some sacrifice and patience. I can’t help wondering how much more each person could have out of life if we consistently took just a moment to evaluate and think about what lies ahead, and made the choice more often to forego the appeal of now for something greater later.

Finding Happiness

The 7 Secrets of 7 Orphans

Finding happiness is the common theme in most legends and fairy tales that have been handed down through hundreds of years. People have searched for gold at the end of the rainbow, double-checked bottles and rubbed lamps to find a wish-granting genie, and  repeated fairy tales over and over that tell of those who live happily ever after. Finding happiness is so basic to human desire that it is a universal theme through all cultures and times. Still, a large percentage of people spend most of there lives going from one pleasure to another searching for the happiness they crave and can not find. 

Just what is the secret to genuine happiness that some people possess? This secret does not seem to be determined by race, wealth, social standing, location, or any tangible factor. Yet some people have it while others spend millions of dollars world wide believing they will find something that fixes their misery. What is the elusive secret to happiness that a few possess and many seek? Most experts claim that happiness comes from attitudes and thought patterns that create habits rather than external events and circumstances. 

One of the objective in the creation of Ginger Brook Hollow was to offer a spirit of cheerfulness to those who become acquainted with it. Grandma Sunday and the seven orphan girls who make up the characters in the Ginger Brook Hollow stories are generally happy. Sure they have their challenges to overcome and their worries to conquer, but they are not too weighed down by these things to find joy in life. The seven orphans each lost care givers two or more times, are as poor as they can be, live with a crabby head mistress, have to work hard, and their futures are uncertain. Yet they find joy and happiness. Yes, their stories are fictional, but they contain patterns that are practical in real life. Here are seven habits they have learned that contribute to their happiness. 

1. They dream dreams. They are consistently visualizing specific things the way they would like them to be. My mother once told me that I would get more of what ever I paid the most attention to. As I have watched, I have found this to be true. The wishes and dreams (or nightmares) that most often come true are the ones we focus our thoughts on.
2. Each girl has a talent or interest with which they can identify that makes them individually unique and helps define their identity. Building and focusing on our talents and interests develops a feeling of self-esteem and wellbeing that ultimately adds to happiness.
3. They are always working toward something worthwhile that they want to achieve or accomplish, rather than spending their energy fighting their circumstances, creating drama, and embracing negativity. They are problem solvers, always thinking of ways to create fun and happiness from things within their reach.
4. They support, accept, and serve each other. They are not hindered by selfish competition or jealousy, but have learned to empathize, to care, and to rejoice in the accomplishments of one another to which they all contribute.
5. They have learned to choose priorities. At an early age, they are learning what matters and how to let go of the things that don’t.
6. They don’t expect others to fix their problems. They do not see themselves as victims of the actions of others or circumstances beyond their control, nor have they grown up believing they are deserving of pity, privilege, or charity. Serendipitous events are seen as unexpected gifts to rejoice in.
7. They have learned to notice and celebrate small joys. This single skill makes so much difference that just this one thing can be a foundation for happiness. It is usually not the big things that affect our emotions, thoughts, actions, and habits, but the little ones. If we continually notice and “celebrate” small joys we enable ourselves to live a life made mostly of smiles and happiness.

 In writing this article I have reviewed these seven secrets to finding happiness and renewed a challenge to myself to focus more on small joys. I would like to extend the same challenge to all my readers.

                                                            – Cheri 

This summer the theme for the “Friends and Neighbors” of Ginger Brook Hollow is Celebrating Small Joys. To find out more or become one of the “Friends and Neighbors” register in the town at www.GingerBrookHollow.com.

 

Hello and Welcome!

"It's for you!"

Having a “Cheri on talk” is nothing new to those who know me. I started talking before I even had hair and am still finding things to say. I invite you to join me here as I express the knowledge and opinions I have gained since I learned my first words.  Hopefully you will find what I have to share sweet, lively, and tasteful – like a ginger sundae.