It's uplifting to remember your happiness!
When you’re grieving a loved one’s passing, pre-planning your own funeral, or simply caught up in the stresses of the day-to-day grind, it’s easy to forget how to find moments of happiness in your life. Still, you deserve to laugh, to smile, and to appreciate all of the little joys of life. Here are a few ways to reconnect with the good things:
Find a Good Book
Barbara Ann Kipfer’s book 14,000 Things to Be Happy About is based on a charming premise: Kipfer simply kept a list of things, little and big, that happened to make her smile. Most can be described in one line or less, and they range from the obvious (“personally witnessing a happy event in history”), to the sentimental (“part of you always being a child”), the debatable (“the federal payroll”), and the oddly specific (“cinnamon apples with maple or cane syrup, pepper bacon, fresh fruit, coffee, and freshly squeezed juice”). You may not agree with every item on Kipfer’s list, but it’s sure to remind you of those things that are uniquely delightful to you.
Google It
A web search for “things to be happy about” comes up with Kipfer’s book, and also a long list of offerings from folks with similar ideas: There are entire blogs devoted to happy things, plus news-related lists, crafty lists, group discussions, and specialized lists for every imaginable area of interest. Find the ones that speak to you, and let them inspire you as you go on to the next step:
Keep Your Own List
The more you read about what other people find delightful, the more you’ll realize that happiness is a very personal feeling. What is boring or irritating to some people makes others burst with joy. The important thing is to keep in touch with what makes you happy. Start your own list. Keep it in your journal, in a file on your computer, in a special notebook that looks and feels good—wherever works for you—and jot down great things when you see them or remember them. When times get tough, look at your happiness list for a dose of perspective.
Ask Your Support System
Don’t forget to ask for help, particularly if you’re already going through a difficult time. Talk to your friends and family, the people who helped build your happiest memories, and ask them to remind you. Remember the times you couldn’t stop laughing? Remember your favorite song, painting, book, and place? Don’t forget to ask the people who love you what it is about you that makes them happy.
When you’re gone, would you like to remind your loved ones of the unique things that delighted you? Are you planning a funeral for someone who touched your life and made you happy? Une Belle Vie can help. Explore the hundreds of hand-crafted, artistic memorial urns we have available, or contact us to have our artists design a custom urn or keepsake just for you.
Subscribe to Our Community
[...] time, using poetry and writing to overcome your grief will pay off and you will begin to experience happiness again. Many preponderant authors used poetry to cope with grief and it has created some [...]