#100happydays

This is my second go around with the 100 Happy Days challenge. I started for the first time back in April after having seen the challenge via a fellow friends Instagram. She so effortlessly completed the 100 day task (or so it seemed). I figured there was nothing too it ... how hard could it be to take 1 picture a day for 100 days of things that simply make me happy? I'm a happy person. Piece of cake. But as the days passed I struggled at times to find something that brought a smile to my face. Of course, there were the usual things that always filled me with joy, an "I love you" from C or dinner and quality time with my parents. But I didn't want to be repetitive and post a photo of the same thing over and over again. So around day 80 I gave up. My dad had been diagnosed with lung cancer and my granddad had passed away so finding happiness in the small things wasn't a priority of mine. Quitting was honestly just easier. I found it much more convenient to wallow in my pity and my "woe is me" attitude.

I have no doubt that people in our society, especially now, are always searching for something better. Rarely are people content with what they have right in front of them. The "#firstworldproblems" hashtag floats around social media like we are truly people in peril. I'm not simply pointing the finger here; I will readily admit that I tend to not be happy the way I used to be. I choose to not find joy in the small things some days because I have become used to a standard that is unrealistic. I get upset when things happen to me that I wasn't prepared for. "It isn't fair", often comes out of my mouth, and I allow the frustration to overwhelm any chance of happiness in my day. It eats at me.

With all of that being said I don't quite have a specific reason why I have decided to make a second go at this. Part of me wants to be able to cross it off my checklist and mark it complete. If you know me you know how much I enjoy scratching things off my to do list. But the other part of me so desperately wants to find (and document) the little things that create my happiness.

So here I am on day 3 of my 100 day challenge. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted as I go along.

Till next time ...

M