Everywhere we look these days there seems to be difficulty and trouble. Our world has become like a roller coaster in many ways. Prices are up, the Dow is down, grocery costs are rising, the dollars in our wallet are shrinking, heating oil is up, the temperature is falling. And although we feel hopeful, there are days when our spirits sink.
Words about money have penetrated our language. Words like debt, bankruptcy, downturn, deficit and depression are now used frequently with ease and familiarity. But, the money word I don't hear enough of is "change."
There are the coins that pool at the bottom of your purse, lie in a drawer or stack up in a jar on the nightstand. Each time we throw a coin in the jar, it adds up. When we finally get around to taking our change to the bank and the teller hands us a $20 bill, we see that those single pieces really added up.
The other kind of change is what happens when we turn our focus away from the roller coaster ride and on to the small things in our lives that add up to lots of joy and happiness. Like the individual pieces of change in our purses and jars that add up, so will joy and happiness when we positively change the way we view our lives and situation.
The truth is that most of us are dealing with the fallout of the financial crisis in one way or another. We are all in this together. We each have the power to move from awful to awe-filled. We can chose to focus on what we have instead of what we do not have, what our blessings are instead of our curses and what we kept as opposed to what we have lost.
There are lots of ways to bring joy, happiness, peace, laughter, hope and comfort into your life, and they cost absolutely nothing. They are free. There is no charge.
Really ask yourself, "What are the best things in life?" Make a list of the top 25 things in your life. I'll bet they aren't things at all. They are the people in your life and the moments you share with the ones you love that will fill this list. Your list, like mine, will be overflowing with all the seemingly small stuff that adds up to be priceless.
Every day there are trillions of treasures that cost nothing, and they enrich our lives in countless ways. When we turn our attention to counting and embracing the small things in front of us, we feel like a million bucks.
Have fun celebrating, discovering, inventing and sharing the things that you love to do that cost nothing.
Stargazing and watching the heavens light up
Taking a walk and taking in nature
Riding a bike and feeling free
Picking strawberries and making jam
Planting a vegetable garden
Picking a handful of yellow flowers in the yard
Making a kite and flying it
Making a picnic lunch and enjoying it with friends in the park
Feeding the birds and watching them play
Watching sunrises and sunsets and seeing the beauty all around you
Author Sandra Magsamen shares five ways to enjoy time with loved ones.
Playing cards with the family
Going on a treasure hunt with your friends and family
Playing charades with your friends and family
Playing catch with your child
Having a hula hoop contest
Author Sandra Magsamen shares six ways to find happiness in doing kind acts for others.
Smiling at someone and waiting for it to be returned
Volunteering and telling someone you care through your kind and giving actions
Saying "Thank you"
Being nice
Giving a compliment
Making greeting cards and sending them to the people you care about
Author Sandra Magsamen shares 10 nice things to do for yourself and find happiness.
Rearranging the furniture in your house and feeling like it looks new
Making paper flowers with recycled newspaper
Humming
Laughing, laughing and more laughing
Delighting in the smell of an apple pie baking in the oven
Making and drinking fresh lemonade
Warming your toes as you sit by a fire
Listening to music, hearing the sound of a violin or the voice of your favorite singer
Going to the library and discovering a great new book
Reading a magazine
This list can go on and on and on. There are infinite treasures in our daily lives that cost absolutely nothing. Use your imagination as you discover the riches that you possess.
Remember that bank accounts will go up and down, but joy and happiness are abundant and consistently within your reach.
Start your list today of the things you get to do that are free, and share them with us.