A Few of My Favorite Things...

Otherwise known as...Leaving a Bit for Another Day

For the past four months, I have been part of a collegial book study with a group of faculty members from My Small Town High School (along with a couple other non-education folks here and there, GDA included) that is reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  Each chapter of the book is devoted to increasing happiness to one particular aspect of life each month.  (Full But Fun... is the first post where I mention the book study, which is graciously hosted by Ms. Mover-and-Shaker, who was selected as My Small Town High School's Teacher of the Year this year.)

GDA attended this month's book study session with me, and Ms. Mover and Shaker was moved to organize a dining out experience at Bongo's, a restaurant featuring Cuban cuisine and a fun salsa atmosphere in the Disney area, in the spirit of trying new experiences.  One of our "assignments" in the book study has been to come up with our own list of attributes that we would like to increase in our daily lives. These are my own personal Jen-isms:

1.  Use the good stuff.  I can't stand only bringing out the best china and silver on Christmas and Thanksgiving.  I make a point of using my favorite dishes (featured in Drinking From Daisies) nearly every time I have the opportunity.  Yes, I lost the set's salad bowl to a friend with slippery fingers and an unforgiving tile floor while I was hosting a dinner party in Canada, but I would rather use my favorite dishes and have them eventually get damaged than never to use them at all.  I do not live in a museum.  My good things may be handled with care, but they will be handled... and often!

2.  Eat the good stuff.   My love of good chocolate was well-documented in A Most Heinous Faux Pas earlier this month.  (For that matter, so was the debate on whether or not I am a high-maintenance woman... I contend I am not... but I suppose that the description of high-maintenance can be open to interpretation.)  This Jen-ism is not merely limited to chocolate, and I'm not talking about expensive. For the most part (with the exception of my increased peanut butter M&M intake of late to numb the pain of the grueling course selection process at work) I eat simple, whole foods-- berries with breakfast, hummus with whole-wheat pita bread and baby carrots at lunch.  When I don't feel like cooking dinner, I turn to an organic spinach and feta pizza from Publix for convenience.  Eating the good stuff, simply stated, makes me happy.

3.  Run.  I feel better when I run.  Yesterday was my first foray pounding the pavement since I ran
the half-marathon just days after losing my dear dad, and I have to say, the run felt incredible.  It was just 35 minutes around GDA's neighborhood, but I worked up a good little sweat and my face flushed a deep red.  Today my calves are sore and I'm hobbling just a little bit, but the pain will subside as I continue to follow through on my desire to run at least three times a week.  Running clears my head, it's great for the body, and the music I listen to lifts my spirits.  The post-run stretching and showering is the best feeling, too. 

4.  On workday mornings, get out of bed five minutes earlier than necessary.  In my childless (and some might say selfish) life, those few extra minutes I get to sit at the breakfast table quietly reading a magazine while I drink tea or coffee, make all the difference in my day. Those five minutes give me a bit of breathing space and allow a peaceful and less harried transition to work.

5.  Find balance in social engagements.  Now that I have the most splendid boyfriend in GDA, I have to work at maintaining my close friendships with girlfriends.  Going to afternoon "therapy" with Shari and Kelly, meeting Marcy and the girls for our monthly dinner, and the Queen Bee and her crew for breakfast, stealing time on the weekend with Linette and Jess and of course Ms. Mover and Shaker's book study group are all activities that feed my inner social butterfly.  They also make my schedule incredibly full and can crowd out other important things.  I must work on balancing engagements throughout the month so that I don't overextend myself on a particular weekend.  The occasional overextension is okay, but making a habit of over-full weekends creates a tired, grumpy Jen.  What is the point of short-term fun if it creates short-term misery for myself and those around me? 

6.  Write more.  The blog allows me to create a space where I am constantly processing life's events.  It has been a way to share my life with people who don't get to participate in my daily life due to distance, and I hope has shown other single girls out there that one can be single and childless and have a rich, full life.  I sometimes feel exposed, particularly as I write about losing my father and my very personal journey with grief, in addition to laying failed relationships out there for the world to witness and judge.  Readers have been very kind and supportive throughout the publication of Single, and as long as it continues to nourish my creative spirit, I will remain a blogger. 

There are more Jen-isms, but it is approaching 1 p.m. and I am still in my pajamas.   (Lazy mornings make me VERY happy!!!)  A Few More of My Favorite Things to come... in the future.

Note:  The author would LOVE to know a few of your favorite things!