Happy Hour

It’s 5:00ish here – it’s happy hour! Are you feeling happy?

How was your day? I have a little break between work and play and wanted to check in as I was thinking of it being 5:00 and it being happy hour, even when I was home cooking and cleaning. It made me think of our definition of happy hour and how often we celebrate “it.”

We can and should celebrate happy hour every day, and it doesn’t just have to be at 5:00 with a drink in your hand.

Maybe your happy hour is when you first wake up in the morning and the house is still quiet.

I think I’ve had several happy hours today. Mine started when Jeff brought me a cup of coffee while I was still in bed. This ritual makes me really happy. My cat wanted to sit with me and stay warm and who was I to deny him his happiness? I am a giver like that, and just had to stay a few minutes longer.

Maybe your happy hour is when you’re running or working out. I didn’t choose to spend a happy hour working out today, although I thought about it. I got in the groove of work and just kept going. Some days are like that.

I actually really love working, and most of the hours are happily spent doing what I’m doing, feeling creative, solving problems and helping others. Do you enjoy your daily work? I think if we are going to be spending several hours a day working, that we should be enjoying this part of our journey too.

What about after work? What do you love?

Today I enjoyed being prepared to make a recipe that I had chosen this weekend and got to use the grill. I don’t know why this made me happy, but I think it’s because it intimidates me a little and makes me uncomfortable. After using the grill and making sure the patties were each at 160 degrees, without a flame or burn, I felt strangely proud and like I conquered the all powerful grill. I am happy that I have a meal ready for everyone when they come home from their long days. Feeding my family makes me incredibly happy. Such a basic need, and one that I truly love.

And now, this happy (partial ) hour of connecting and writing is done… I have more to do, to create more happily ever moments before the day is done.

Join me by enjoying whatever you choose to do next and we’ll celebrate happy hour together!

Cheers!

Adriana

Have you heard that helping others can increase your happiness?

The magic number seems to be 100 hours per year, which amounts to about 2 hours per week. Who knew that helping others could enrich our own lives?

Are you volunteering or helping someone other than your immediate family? If so, how much time do you spend being of service?

This has been a question I’ve been noodling on for awhile and am using as a guide as I’m always trying to maximize the Happy Hours in my days.

When I felt like everything was ok in my life and still felt like I was missing something, it was Susanne who asked me how I was being of service and how much time I was dedicating to this part of life. She loves to help youth and seniors and spends a fair part of each week helping others and she told me how helping others really made her happy. Her face would light up when she’d share stories with me. She inspired me to think about how I was spending my time.

I belong to a Christian’s women’s group that runs a thrift shop. All proceeds from sales goes into an endowment fund, from which scholarships are given to women pursuing higher education goals. I love being part of this volunteer organization and believe in the mission. I started volunteering one day per week for an hour or two, helping out with donations. I love going to the shop and seeing the ladies who work there regularly, and feeling appreciated for my little Happy Hour of service.

Recently I joined the board of directors, who make decisions about running the store. I have been working on a strategic change project that has been taking a lot more than 2 hours per week. I love being involved and using my business background and interest in change management to help lead the change and “working” with a team. As I share my time, I feel helpful and happy to be making a difference. I think this is an example of how helping others can actually make you happy. I feel thankful for the relationships I am building and for the difference I am making. Happy Hours well spent.

Life is good.