Day 18: Embrace Good Smells

To me, nothing quite beats the smell of the great outdoors (Pics: Wyoming)

By reminding ourselves to be mindful of the fragrances we associate with the people we love, we can amplify our enjoyment and appreciation of this physical sense.  Few pleasures have the simplicity of a lovely scent. – Gretchen Ruben

Fish & Chips – London, England

Nothing could ever top these cupcakes in Krakow!

Tell me about your home, your office building, your favorite restaurant, and your garage.  Most of you would respond with of a description how these places look and how you feel when you’re in them but completely overlook the sense of smell.  Have you ever been in someone’s house so often that over time you’ve started to associate the distinct fragrance with the individual?  Maybe say, your grandparent’s house?  The sense of smell is often overlooked as a descriptive tool, but sometimes it can be the most important.  Sometimes particular smells bring joy, such as the smell of your father’s famous chicken on the grill outside, where others can elicit feelings of sadness or anger, such as the smell of an ex-boyfriend’s cologne.  Either way, it’s important to recognize these associations and grab on to them.  Vowing to embrace good smells could increase the joy you get out of the little things in life!

Enjoying a Pastry in Berlin, Mmm

What smells do you associate with positive life events, the people you love, or comfortable places?

I love the smell of crisp air in the morning, sweets in the oven, my mother’s perfume, and fresh picked flowers ❤

To me, nothing quite beats the smell of the great outdoors

Day 17: Jump!

I definitely jumped when this little guy snuck up on me on the beaches of South Carolina!

Here’s a secret tip. If you need a quick, easy jolt of energy, right away, all you have to do is—jump.  Jump up and down, do jumping jacks by your desk, run down the stairs, hop over a puddle. – Gretchen Ruben

Gotta love the rush you get when you jump off the bumps on the Giant Slide at the WI State Fair!

I’ll be the first one to admit that come 2:00 in the afternoon, I’m beyond ready for a nap!  By mid-afternoon I’ve lost most of my energy, emails begin to dwindle down, my motivation is slowly decreasing, and I’m ready to head home.  Unfortunately, most of us can’t just walk out of the office when we’re done for the day so we fight to stay alert and awake the next few hours before freedom.  It shouldn’t have to be this way though.

I need to find something to give myself a jolt when I’m feeling a lull coming on, and jumping may just be the answer.  Now, this may not be socially acceptable in the cube-farm that I call home, but I’ve found that most of our conference rooms are empty during the day!

Tyler gets his energy playing volleyball 🙂

 

Warning for my coworkers reading this: If you see me jumping it’s because I’m trying to pump myself up.  Maybe you should try it, too!

Day 16: Respond to the Spirit of a Gift

This year’s Birthday Cake…Mmmm 🙂

Saint Thérèse emphasizes the importance of accepting gifts in the spirit in which they’re offered, instead of responding to the gift itself. She doesn’t want to be distracted with chitchat; she wants to write. She doesn’t want a bouquet in her lap; she wants to see wildflowers growing in the fields. But she takes “care to appear happy and especially to be so.”

The gift of an education

The gift of being loved, and loving others

The gift of beauty

Think back to when you were younger (like wayyy younger, try elementary school) and you received a gift that you didn’t like.  Being the pure and innocent child that you were, you did what you deemed the sensible thing and acted with bewilderment that this person would even think that you would LIKE this, sadness that this was all you received, or anger thinking that this individual was trying to change you in some way.  I would be amazed if you’ve never received a gift that you weren’t crazy about (which is why I’m a huge fan of gift recipes & gift cards), and your parents probably used your disappointment as a teachable moment.

For example, one year in middle school all I wanted from St. Nick were 2 tickets to an alternative music concert called “The Big Snow Show” playing in Milwaukee.  Needless to say, when I didn’t receive the gift I expected I was disappointed, mad, and ungrateful.  To this day I’m embarrassed about the way I acted because the gifts that I did receive were also things that I loved but just not as much as the one thing that I wanted (and because now I understand that my parents probably didn’t want their 13 year old daughter going to a rock concert in Milwaukee on a week night)!  When I’m a parent I’m going to use this example the first time I see the look of disappointment on my child’s face after opening a gift.  The fact is, disappointment is a part of life but we need to learn how to appropriately “respond to the spirit of a gift” instead.

What lovely wrapping ❤

Ty’s giant cupcake!

Gifts from my Love 🙂

Mmm Melting Pot’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries