Quote from “Honest” Abe Lincoln:

“ Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be”

June 28th was the day I completed the #100happydays challenge. And why, you may well ask, was this a challenge? Well, the gist of this practice was based on an observation that when asked to find just 5 minutes to be happy for 100 days in a row, 71% of people who started could not complete the practice. But, according to the web site, those who were successful claimed to:

– Start noticing what makes them happy every day; – Be in a better mood every day; – Start receiving more compliments from other people; – Realize how lucky they are to have the life they have; – Become more optimistic; – Fall in love during the challenge.

Regardless of whether you view your regular happiness quotient as a matter of genetics or the choice of a point of view, these are pretty impressive outcomes.

June 28th, the 100th day, was ordinary in some ways, and memorable in others. Summer was in full swing (happy) and I was expecting guests for an overnite at camp (happy, happy, happy place). I was looking forward to seeing everyone(happy), but knew that they didn’t “love” the lake and the great outdoors as I did (not happy). Sitting around a picture-perfect campfire that night(happy) the blue glow of their cell-phones and iPads (me =not happy, guests = happy?) seemingly more interesting than the hundreds of fireflies that lit up the dark (happy). Oh yes, and that day marked the 3rd anniversary of my younger brother’s untimely death ( very, very, very unhappy).

Yes, I did complete the 100 days, and yes I was happy for at least 5 minutes (often more) each day. Not that I’m some sort of Pollyanna, but by and large I’m a “half-full” kind of person and have been since I entered the world. Have to say though that the exercise did give me pause to think about this much sought after thing we call happiness.

Here’s a few ideas I submit for your consideration: