During 2013 I embarked upon the award winning #100HappyDays challenge circulated on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. At the same time, and unknown to me on Day 1, I was going to face some of my most significant life challenges during the next 100 days – the death of my much loved grandmother, and also my brother receiving a terminal bowel cancer diagnosis at the young age of 41.
I am proud to say I successfully completed all one hundred days, despite the personal and family struggles on a number of those. I tried to remember that each and every day has something positive within it, you just have to find and acknowledge it, small as it may be…
I just wanted to share my Day 10 experience, where I sat and thought about all of the things in my life which make and keep me happy. I then compiled a written list of one hundred of these, the list could have gone further… I now find them a useful list to reflect upon in difficult times, and most of them are the little things in life as you may well imagine. At the risk of sounding a bit Julie Andrews, I’d like to pass on the gauntlet and challenge you to make a list of your 100 happy things:
1. Cuddles and kisses with my partner & children
2. Spending time with family
3. Laughing so much that sound stops coming out
4. Spending time with friends
5. Cheese sandwiches
6. Magnolia blossom
7. Reading on my kindle
8. Persil non-bio (the smell!)
9. Holidays
10. Time alone
11. Decorated Xmas trees
12. Episodes of Friends
13. New stationery
14. A clean house & fresh clean bedding
15. Art & culture
16. New shoes & handbags
17. Sticking my hands in gel water beads
18. Cocktails
19. Smelling Yankee candles
20. Xmas dinner
21. Gardening
22. Moist toilet tissue
23. Frozen dark chocolate
24. New diaries
25. Late afternoon sun
26. Any dish where the main ingredient is chicken
27. Driving on my own
28. Church bells
29. Colourful imagery
30. Hotel – the board game
31. Warm bread and soup
32. City breaks – especially Italian ones!
33. A warm bed on a cold windy night
34. Long weekends
35. Casinos
36. Bubble baths
37. Psychologies Magazine
38. Snorkelling or scuba diving
39. Fresh hair cut & colour
40. Hand written letters
41. Sundays where I have time to read the Sunday Times and the accompanying supplements – especially the travel one!
42. Poker games
43. Writing
44. Anything handmade – especially if I’ve been able to make it myself
45. When my kids make me smile/laugh
46. Tropical fish tanks – especially Marine tanks
47. Afternoon tea – or just tea
48. Second hand book shops
49. Make-up
50. Selfless people
51. Order and organisation
52. Anything Maldives
53. New underwear
54. Sun loungers
55. Fresh polished teeth
56. Drivers who thank you back
57. My MacBook
58. Period dramas
59. Spa days
60. Spirituality
61. TK Maxx
62. Fresh clean babies
63. Al fresco dining
64. Cosy fireplaces
65. Helping someone out
66. Sopranos box set
67. Enlightening ideas and learning that challenges my mind
68. African Cichlids – especially orange Parrot fish
69. Espa foaming face wash
70. My iPhone and Spotify music playlist
71. Gentlemen
72. Stained glass making
73. Kindness
74. Smell of my favourite Perfumes and aftershaves
75. Breakfast in bed
76. Giving to others
77. The ‘Friday feeling’
78. Looking through old photographs
79. Clean hands
80. Happy funny people
81. First signs of Spring
82. Ezio, my favourite band
83. Feeling loved and cared about
83. Butterflies
85. Please and thank you
86. Learning something new
87. Running
88. Salad cream sandwiches
89. Hobby craft
90. Stranger smiles
91. Angels and anything celestial
92. Peace and quiet
93. 80s music
94. Eating out
95. Good grammar and use of the English language
96. Countryside, hills and country walks
97. Sweet popcorn
98. Anything that sparkles
99. Fresh cut flowers
100. The love of my husband (last but very much not least!)
To find out more about 100 Happy Days or to take part in the challenge yourself you can go to www.100happydays.com