The Happiness of Positive

"I had a great day, today!"

We all get a chance to say this, at least once in a while.

But, because Beth and I have taken this challenge of 365 days of happiness and we are writing this blog, I do have to start examining the question of whether you can actually decide to be happier and end up, well, happier.

Today, I decided that it is true that in order to be happy yourself, you must surround yourself with happy people, or, at least, positive people.  A girlfriend who will mean it when she says, "I like your dress."  A man who makes the effort to catch up to you to sign your petition for a charitable cause.  An editor who offers you an opportunity because he believes you are ready for it.

It's still spring for another two weeks.  Why not do some spring cleaning and reduce the amount of time you spend with people who make you feel sad or blue or just plain glum.  After all, if I asked if you would rather live in a cloudy climate or a sunny climate, wouldn't your answer be sunny?  ~ Paloma

There are six days of school left. Six days! It doesn't matter how many exams there are after, or that I still have one more Monday morning left. Really, what should these last six days be to me? Should it be a countdown? I don't imagine that numbers are a big enough part of daily life that one more statistic should drastically change my entire mood. This is not to go without saying that the tick-down feels great! It's been a long year, and a weird year, and I'm not sure what summer will be like without having to even think about school for two months. My last six days will be these, and I hope that they will arouse smiles: a maxi dress (maybe two!), the last student council meeting of the year, which are always full of laughs, the eventual end of the school snack line, a few fishtail braids, and the preparation for a much bigger summer than ever before. How do you count down to the best bits of the year- with dread of the time left? Pfft, bring it on, and with a smile! ~Beth