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This week I came across a term I had never seen before, but it suited me to a tee.

Grassroller.

Yes, you heard that right. I love to roll around in the grass, especially down a hill. I used to do it a lot when I was a kid, and truth be told, sometimes, I was rolling down a snowy hill, but you get the picture.

This old inspiration struck me some months ago, and since then, if I see a fabulous grassy hill and the mood comes upon me, I simply run up it and roll down, laughing the entire way.

Some people watching might think I’m crazy. Others have commented that it looks fun. Still more said they’re going to give it a try.

Whenever I do this, it makes me happy. I feel like a little kid again, unconcerned about people’s opinions, completely in the moment, finding delight wherever it takes me.

Happiness is Simple Things.

I could name other simple things that work for me. Playing with a yo-yo. Skipping. Throwing rocks into a river.

Sometimes we make being happy so big. It has to involve a big promotion or accomplishment. But there are happy moments to be had that need no fanfare. Kids know this and are our greatest teachers.

Get in touch with that kid you used to be. What simple things made you the happiest? Then give it a go. Do something simple. I’ll bet you’re surprised at how happy it makes you.

 

Image courtesy of tungphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For the last year plus, I set aside my love for clay. I just can’t call it pottery anymore because I don’t only throw bowls, platters, mugs, and plates now. I sculpt with it. I make a canvas out of clay and draw on it with glaze, creating magical paintings.

This break from clay began when I quit my old career. I felt like I needed to give everything to my writing and my new publishing business, so clay was set aside. And it was okay. I knew I would return when the time was right.

Well, the time has returned, and I’m back. That first night back in my beloved studio with other artists was a bit of a surprise. I discovered the shelf where I kept my tools going back many years had been cleaned out and thrown away. Everything I had assembled was gone. Even more shocking, few of my old friends were around. It was as if a hurricane had hit the studio and swept everything I loved away.

Except me and the clay.

I had to start over. Borrow tools. Find a new shelf.

The clay was the same though, that same mixture of strength and flexibility which allows me to mold it into something special that holds its shape over time.

But I wasn’t the same.

I sat down at the wheel for the first time in two years and wasn’t sure I could throw anymore. I had been sculpting and doing canvas on clay in the time before I had taken a break.

I wedged a modest amount of clay and centered it on the wheel. I stared at the lump without turning the wheel on to start my dance with centrifugal force. Then I hit the switch.

And was surprised. I hadn’t really forgotten how to do anything, and even better, I was ready to integrate my new talents with sculpture into my work on the wheel.

My first piece back is a coffee mug with a mermaid sculpted on the side. When she came out of the kiln a few days ago, I was elated. I’d returned to what I loved and produced something new because of all the gifts I’d integrated in my time away.

Happiness is Returning.

The return wasn’t perfect. My community, my place in the studio had been severed. But the clay was there, waiting for me.

I create with words all the time as a writer, something I’m doing even now, but I adore creating with something solid, something that isn’t language. It still touches the soul. The modality doesn’t change that.

What have you stopped doing that you loved that you haven’t returned to? Are you like I was thinking you might not be able to do it anymore?

Give it a try again. You might just find how happy your return to it makes you.

 

Image courtesy of Photokanok at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m keeping it simple this week and focusing on how certain sounds make me happy. I love hearing them, and they never fail to make me smile.

Champagne popping.

A train whistle.

The sizzling of fajita meat.

Wind rustling the trees.

My name being called in a loving tone.

The voices of the ones I love.

Kids making car noises.

Dance music.

Happiness is sounds.

What are your favorite sounds? Quick. Just think of three. I’ll bet you’re already smiling.

 

Image courtesy of vectorolie at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Having just watched an interview with Paulo Coehlo, the author of the acclaimed book, THE ALCHEMIST, I can attest that I agree with him that the universe has its own language, which it is all too eager to share with each of us.

How else are we supposed to know where to go and what to do next?

I’ve always believed in signs. You know what I’m talking about. You see a certain word on a billboard, on a bumper sticker, or even on TV that confirms something you’ve been thinking about. Or you have a conversation with someone who just happens to have information about things you’ve been wondering about. This just happened to a friend of mine. The minute she decided to go to Paris, she encountered three strangers in three days who all had just been there.

Among my friends, we say, “You can’t make that sh## up.”

Today I was grocery shopping, and I had another sign that happiness is a choice—and one of the most important ones I can make. I asked the checker how her day was going. She immediately responded with a smile and told me it was wonderful. She woke up. She’s here. She’s doing what she’s supposed to do. She’s happy.

Simple, right?

We started talking, and without knowing I write about happiness every week, she starts to tell me she’s made the choice to be happy. Every day. That it’s one of the most important decisions she’s ever made. She also went onto say some people don’t understand that.

I was listening to someone confirm everything I am writing about here.

A sign.

Recently, things haven’t been all daisies and buttercups. There’s been some family drama, some painful conversations, and again the search for love through it all. Oh, and yeah, choosing happiness even though I didn’t want to jump up and down every moment of the day like usual.

That’s okay. We honor where we are, but we can also choose to rise above it. We can’t control other people’s feelings, words, or even actions, but we can choose how we will respond and how we will live our lives.

I’m so grateful to this woman today. She was heaven-sent for sure, another sign I am on the right track, choosing happiness.

What signs are you seeing right now? Who is bringing them to you? If you don’t feel like you know, just choose your own intention: I am willing to start seeing signs right now.

Now, step back and wait for it. Big things are about ready to happen that will lift you up and take you to new shores, happy shores. How great is that?

 

Image courtesy of ntwowe at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You may not be surprised to discover that I consider myself an artist. This isn’t from the mere fact of being a writer. No, I also love to draw, paint, sculpt, and throw on the pottery wheel. Oh, and let’s not forget about cooking (that’s a big one for this former chef).

I love hanging out with artistic people, and I love being creative.

There’s a great joy that comes when I make a connection with another artist. A few years ago, I bought a beautiful Celtic necklace to wear at my first Nora Roberts’ party from an artist named Karen who lives in Washington State. You can understand how I wanted something special for such an event, since Nora had given me her blessing for NORA ROBERTS LAND. Well, I found a special dress for the party as well, a fabulous one-shoulder number, and I had a moment of inspiration. I wanted an arm band. You know, something like a Roman woman would have worn when Julius Caesar was alive. I contacted Karen and asked if she could make me a matching arm band, and we got to talking.

She was also pursuing her dream of making beautifully inspiring jewelry and trying to phase out her day job. I was on a similar path with my writing at the time. Our spirits clicked, and we talked about our divine purpose and how magical things become when we start living our highest expression.

She ended up offering me the arm band in exchange for promotion, and that piece has been on my website under my favorite things ever sense.

Happiness is making artistic connections.

But it didn’t end there. She said she’d make me a special necklace when I became published, and she made something so magical that I had to wait for the most perfect occasion: a major publishing party with other bestselling authors and my favorite gents from Apple’s iBooks. I found another fabulous one-shoulder dress pictured with this post—something hard to find—but the style of which I adore. The combination was perfect.

For me, supporting other artists is fun. Readers and other authors support me, and I’m grateful for the connection. Yet supporting Karen,
this talented artist, and seeing what she can create…well, it makes me so happy. And of course, people always ask about jewelry like this. It’s so far from anything I ever imagined wearing when I was growing up in the Midwest. And of course, Karen supported me too. I sent her an autographed book and some postcards, which she left with some local galleries, spreading the word.

Is there someone you could support who is artistic? Is there a trade you might do to help each other out? Be creative. Something might surprise you. And you’ll make an artistic connection of the happiest sort.

For more information about Karen’s magical jewelry, visit her website at http://www.mysticmetaldesigns.com/.