What constitutes a happy home?

When we think of "happy home" we often think mom, dad, children, dog and maybe a cat. But a happy home can have only one inhabitant, and can be different things to different people. There is no one way to have a happy home. That being said, I do have a few ideas on achieving a happy home, regardless of how many live in the home, or where it resides. I'm sure you can add a few of your own, and I hope that you will.

I think your physical home should reflect what you love most in life. Little physical representations of people, places, moments. A rock may represent a peaceful moment in a special place. A pine cone from that favorite pine tree in your backyard, or a shell from the beach you walk by and admire each day. It can be anything. But what is important about the object is that it has meaning to you. 

I think your physical home should be kept fairly clean. I think when our homes are really dirty it says that something is wrong, and adds to a sense of feeling out of control. That doesn't mean a spotless, sterile environment. Simply run a dust cloth under that stack of books on occasion. And while you're at it, ask yourself whether or not the objects that you are dusting really speak to who you are right now. How many of us keep things because it was meaningful to someone else? After all, that lava lamp that is gathering dust in the corner could be just the item a young teen is looking for to round out their "home." Keep stuff moving - give to charitable organizations those things that no longer represent you, or bring you pleasure. I've begun to cleanse my environment from the objects I really don't like, or have any attachment to. It's freeing.

Bring the outside in. Maybe a few plants, a bowl of fruit, a bouquet of flowers. I really think living things in our home are important. Plants clean the air and look pretty. If you don't have enough light where you live, how about a single flower in a small vase next to your bed?


Cook in your home if possible. I believe the most meaningful thing about a home is that it's nurturing, and what better way to nurture than to cook for yourself and others? We live in transitory times. The economic downfall in this country, and others, requires some adjustment. Going back to the basics can be fulfilling.  Good smells emanating from your kitchen will make you, and others, feel treasured. The price for an at-home meal is so much less than going out, and the atmosphere isn't rushed or full of other people's voices.


And last, but not least, be aware of the thoughts that you harbor. If you are thinking bad thoughts about your housemates, sooner or later you will say something that is hurtful that will make your home unhappy. There is nothing worse than living in a home full of tension. You cannot change the behavior of others, but you can accept responsibility for your own thoughts and behavior.

So here are a couple of my ideas on how to have a happy home. Care to share a few of your own? 

Amma

Amma or "Mother" is a what some would call a modern-day Saint. "The Hugging Saint". Although she laughs at that suggestion. She says there is no difference between creation and God. Like the waves the ocean forms are different but they are one and the same. She does not adhere to a particular religion, and her room at her Ashram has a picture of Jesus Christ, a Menorah, and a verse from the Koran. But she has been known to cure leprosy and turn butter into pudding. Although she is quick to note that we all have the same power, we just don't know it. She does not like to perform miracles, like tricks to entertain, preferring to pass her love to people individually, thru the power of  human touch. She has been known to hug 50,0000 people in one day, in 20-hour stints, without benefit of food, water, or bathroom breaks. It is estimated that she has hugged 26 million people in the last 36 years. She's been asked to speak to organizations the world over, and her charitable organization has provided for orphanages, hospitals, schools, giving 46 million dollars to the tsunami victims in Malaysia alone. She has never sought to convert anyone, and states her religion is love and service.

Born in a poor fishing village 56 years ago, her mother claims there was no pain with her birth. She was known as an "odd" child because she would give the family's food away, touched lepers, and would often stop what she was doing and go into "trance-like" states with her lips moving, a smile playing on her face. She says they were silent prayers and "when one beholds the entire universe as a play of consciousness, what else can one do but smile?"


Whether you believe Amma is a Saint, or just a person who has managed to collect a following of millions, her message is simple and worth noting:

The mission of every human being is to realize his true Self or "know who we really are."

"Love is the foundation of a happy life. Knowingly or unknowingly we are forgetting this truth. It is important to feel love but also to express it. After all, love is our true nature. When we do not express love in our words and actions it is like honey hidden in a rock - it's of no use to anyone."

These things should start in the home - only then will there be peace and harmony at home and in society.

The last sentence really hit home for me. Having studied the family for so many years, I truly believe our home is the microcosm of everything else. Having a happy home changes everything.

My husband's new shoes arrived...

He can't understand my reluctance in going out to dinner with him and his new shoes.

A friend said her CEO came to work the other day in a similar pair - in his suit.

P.S. Thank you to Hilary for POTW "mention"!

Heal Your Life

One of the things that I think is very important regarding good mental health is starting your day in a positive manner. Rather than reading news sites, or newspapers, or turning on the television, start your day off with positive reinforcement. Some may want to meditate, pray, do Tai Chi, Yoga, run or walk. But beginning your day with positive thinking will draw positive energy to you throughout the day.

I always read the news first thing in the morning. Bad idea. It left me worrying and thinking about all of the horrible things going on in the world and not focusing on the good.  The news programs count on manipulation. We are all in control of having a life well-lived. What we concentrate on becomes who we are. Isn't it just as important to work on a healthy mind as it is to work on a healthy body?

Here is a new website I recently found: Heal Your Life has a variety of good information, regardless of your religious or political views. Instead of the news, I begin my day with life-affirming information. There is plenty of time later in the day to read the stuff that makes me feel bad.

Lunch in Big Sur

Here was our view while having lunch in Big Sur last week. It certainly made the tuna fish sandwich. The California coast is really incredible this time of year. You can see why California cows are so happy!

Our next trip will be from Big Sur to Cambria. I can't wait.

New Synchronicity Wesbsite

Trish & Rob MacGregor started a new website for their soon-to-be published book "Seven Secrets of Synchronicity." I've spent some time clicking around on the site and found it to be very interesting and informative. If you are puzzled about what synchronicity is all about, or you have a story to share with them, by all means - pay this site a visit.

I had the good fortune to meet the MacGregors while they vacationed in Hood River, Oregon, and we were visiting family in Portland. Since they live on the other side of the country - it was synchronicity that brought us together for lunch. They had placed a "Google alert" for "synchronicity" while working on their book, (yes, you can have Google work for you), and my blog post just happened to come up. Again, synchronicity. They were just the people I needed to meet at that time of my life. Trust me, they are very knowledgeable.

This has happened more than once. Issues that I may be working on just happen to come up in another person's blog post. Sidebars will show websites or other blogs that turn out to be just what I'm looking for. I've read a ton of books that inspire and facilitate my writing because someone recommended them to me in their comments, or better yet, in comments to another person. Some bloggers have become email friends, and we exchange thoughts on a variety of subjects. People with lives so different from mine, so far away from me, but sharing common interests. They often show up encouraging, or offering advice, just when I need it the most. The more that I'm aware of synchronicity in my life, the more alive I feel.

What about you - have you experienced synchronicity lately?

Jeff Foxworthy & Nevadans

http://www.terragalleria.com/index.html

Limestone cliffs. Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA. 

I have lived in Nevada all of my life. I'm a fourth generation native, and my children are fifth. In this state that is unusual. It was the fastest growing state in the US for many of the last 20 years. My sister sent me this the other day and I laughed out loud. Jeff Foxworthy knows Nevadans. Here's a peek at a state most only think of as either desert or casinos:

FORGET REDNECKS; THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAD TO SAY ABOUT NEVADANS! If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Nevada . If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Nevada . If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Nevada . If "vacation" means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Nevada . If you measure distance in hours, you live in Nevada . If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" and back again in the same day, you live in Nevada . If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Nevada . If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Nevada . If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Nevada . If the speed limit on the highway is 75 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Nevada . If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Nevada . If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Nevada . If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly" you live in Nevada . Of course we just legalized the first male prostitute in the United States this last week. Never say we're not progressive. Geeze.