AND ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS

LIST OF RANDOM THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MAKING ME HAPPY BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH TO SMILE ABOUT.  Yes, I know there are still a lot of not so nice things happening around, but you can either focus on the cons or find the upside. Tonight, I choose to write about the good. So, in no particular order:

• Seeing other people genuinely smiling or laughing, even if not directed towards me. As in those random people you see in the mall or even in the street and they look sooo happy – it’s infectious!
• Talking to a legit great leader and ending the conversation INSPIRED and ENERGIZED.
• Buying produce at the grocery and feeling all healthy and psyched to cook – and feeling as happy when it turns out yummy. PLUS taking home my mom’s healthy and DELICIOUS home-made burritos which I can just heat up any time!
• Having an empty kitchen sink  And basically having my whole place tidy. And more basic than the the previous point, just basically having this place. 
• The idea that I’m taking care of myself – whether it be through meal preps, sleeping early, getting a massage/facial/mani, or even just allocating time to shut everything down and READ. 
• How life can and will surprise you. Using a lyric I overuse: “far more shocking than anything I ever knew, right on cue.”
• Connecting with family. Yes, we are family by blood, but it’s just a million times better feeling that you are a family by heart as well. My heart swells when I hear “I love you” from relatives I don’t usually hear it from.
• Having more regular catch up sessions with friends. Partying/watching movies is fun but there’s still nothing like part deep/part sabaw conversations over drinks or a meal. 
• Waking up slowly. And after a really long and restful sleep at that. It’s been about a month since I got back and it’s only now that I can honestly say that I feel well rested. 
• Slowly finding the rhythm in posting in (and sharing!) this blog again. As seemingly confident as I have become in real life, the same cannot be said about my writing and this blog. I’ve become too caught up in what others might think of me but hey, Reg, you’re making it a much bigger deal than it should be. You will never be able to please EVERYONE. I should take that fact as LIBERATING instead of daunting. 

I know it may seem random to post about these, but I think sometimes we need a reminder that even the little things can bring big smiles to our faces. Sometimes we’re so wrapped up in our idea of how happiness SHOULD BE that we neglect to realize that happiness already IS. 

Plus, it’s a reminder that YOU can be a source of joy to someone’s life without you having to try so hard. It may require you to go out of your way, but that little detour to brighten up someone’s day will go a looong way. Besides, as what this August has taught me: LIFE IS SHORT. You don’t want to regret not showing someone you cared when you had the chance. 

Happy beginning of the ber months!
Using this tropical, summery vibes photo from 2017 before JMC fills the airwaves!