My Yellow Brick Road

There are some things that just seem like universal truths to me.  Everyone has their own, a list of ideas they have learned through their lives.  These should guide the choices and decisions I make and my happiness project!  Here are mine (at least what I have so far):

1. Let Mindy be Mindy
2. Choose adventure
3. Move toward pride and away from shame
4. Believe you can
5. Just get started and the rest will follow
6. Constant reminders will help you get there
7. It's all going to be okay
8. Try not to compare, everyone starts somewhere different
9. Don't try to push the river (aka It's ok to let go)
10. You don't HAVE to do anything
11. The word 'should' can be removed from your vocabulary
12. Choose to have fun with it!

As number 4 statges, just get started!  This might not be my perfect list but hey, it's a blog, it's editable.  Now I just need to follow my yellow brick road.

My Bucket List - Year 35

One of my favorite bloggers, Roni Noone, has posted a bucket list!  I thought it was a great idea and kind of in line with what I am doing.  I am sure I will add to this list for eternity, or at least my lifetime, but here are a few things that pop right to mind:

1. Write a screenplay.
2. Learn to play one of my favorite songs on the guitar.
3. Live on or near a body of water (a lake is what I have in mind but it could be the beach!) for at least part of the year. (This could also be owning a boat and living on the boat :)
4. Bicycle across one or multiple countries in Europe.  I am thinking Italy, Spain and/or France.
5. Go whale watching.
6. Road trip to watch the Cubs play at all the NL baseball stadiums one summer.
7. Own a small business of some kind.
8. Learn to whistle really loud with my fingers.
9. Paint something I will be proud to hang on the wall.
10. Learn and practice Tai Chi.
11. Take lots of pictures.
12. Write a blog.
13. Become organized.
14. Plan a beach vacation in a house big enough to hold my entire family.
15. Eat pasta with friends at a winery in Italy.
16. Drink coffee with my husband in France.
17. Become certified as a water aerobics instructor.
18. Be debt free.
19. Inspire others to become normal eaters.
20. Get a masters degree...or even a PhD!
21. Find a lipstick color that actually looks good on me.
22. Decorate a house that says ME all over it.
23. Spend one Christmas in New York.
24. Learn a foreign language
25. Learn to sew
26. Crochet myself a hat

It's fun to dream, isn't it?  The question is, how do we keep these lists top of mind so we actually accomplish what is on them?

My Happiness Project



The Happiness Project

 My husband got me The Happiness Project for Christmas and I read through it right away, totally inspired and have been thinking about it ever since.  I decided that it would give me a good format for this blog and hopefully help me get where I want to go!

The first thing Gretchen does is come up with her own 12 commandments and other Secrets of Adulthood which is where I will start.  She then determines her resolutions (one per month) and has some measurable mini-resolutions to support them.

I am going to do things a little differently and will share my thoughts once I post the resolutions.  It's been fun brainstorming ideas and I will share in the coming days.

To Blog or Not To Blog?

I have been debating about starting a blog for a long time.  I have started and deleted more blogs than I can remember!  The reason for this I suppose is mixed feelings.  I am drawn to the blogging world but at the same time, worried that what I put out there might be criticized.  I have decided to be brave and go ahead and give it a shot! 

The reason I want to blog is because I want to push myself to live a full life. It's so easy to while away the hours sitting on the couch and watching TV but that isn't the life I want to live.  And it's not the example I want to set for my sweet baby boy.  My hope is that having a place to report my adventures will encourage me to seek adventure where I did not before. 

This is the major theme of my blog so that could include many things.  What excites me is seeing how that develops over time.  I am just going to start anywhere and see where it takes me.