The happiness factor

Today was a 10 I thought to myself last night before relaxing into sleep. I had spent the majority of my work day on a project I felt passionate about. I ate a good, healthy lunch outside in the sunshine with good company. I wore a cute new outfit that I assembled out of mostly old pieces from my spring closet. I spent the evening downtown with good friends for drinks on a rooftop patio. I sashayed down the sidewalk with glow and bounce and joy because that day had all the ingredients for my recipe for happiness. Happiness, I decided, is simply spending your day doing more things that you love than not. Is that really so hard to achieve?

Some days, yeah, happiness takes some hard accounting work. Today was one of them.

• Waking up groggy, perhaps from a slightly abbreviated sleep the night before when I was all caught up in the magic of a beautiful Winnipeg night: -2
• Presenting project that I was proud of and got some kudos: +3
• Being invited to partake in free catered lunch:+3
• Enduring longish afternoon with a full tummy: -2
• Reading funny email from Amara: +4
• Taking phone call from sister: +4
• Taking phone call from sister where she reported on the fabulous time she had shopping and dining last week in Vancouver/Whistler with her boyfriend -2
• Sitting with uncomfortable nagging feeling for being envious of younger sister who has it all: -1
• Walking home in the warm sunshine:+3
• Walking home in the warm sunshine wearing black pants: -1
• Arriving home: +6
• Receiving mail from Starbucks Visa who bequeathed me with $60 in Starbucks funds (+4!) because the card is now defunct: -1
• Arriving home to dishes, recycling, laundry, general disarray that I've been neglecting for a week: -4
• Going to feed Bill, my goldfish, only to find him dead at the bottom of the tank: -8
• Discovering that Visa bill this month is at an astronomical (but still payable) level: -4
• Rediscovering the taste and enjoyment of toasted cinnamon raisin bread for dinner: +2
• Opening of every window in the house and letting in of moving air: +5
• Visit from Dad who sympathizes with my Visa bill grumblings and loss of pet goldfish: +4
• Cleaning of kitchen: +8
• Washing of two loads of clothes followed by drying them on the line outside and getting them put away: +4
• Clean sheets on bed: +4
• Time at the end of the night to sit in clean sheeted bed to reflect, breathe, listen to favourite tunes and sip water: +8

=37
Hm. Guess it turned out to be a better day than I thought.

I miss you Little Bill. I'm sorry.