Field Guide to Happiness (2 of 5 free samples)

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COPYRIGHT
Field Guide to Happiness by Barbara Ann Kipfer. Copyright 2008 by Barbara Ann Kipfer.
All Rights Reserved. Sharing not permitted.

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2) LIST OF THINGS YOU ARE HAPPY ABOUT IN YOUR HOME ENVIRONMENT

It is amazing how much we feel we need to change our home environment. People are constantly talking about or planning to buy new furniture or a new appliance, to paint a room, get different pillows, change to hardwood floors. You've heard it all--or maybe you do this, too. Perhaps this phenomenon is created or fed by TV, magazines, DIY stores--and compounded by the fact that we have little or no control over the office environment, neighborhood, or other places we frequent. So we turn to our homes, feeling they must be continually manipulated.

But how about appreciating your home environment just as it is? Maybe that new dining room set would bring you pleasure for six months, but then it becomes the old dining room set. A new material item usually only feels new for about six months. Most of the time, you still have payments to make on a new material item even though it now feels old. Your home environment feels a certain way because your mind tells it to feel that way. Control your mind by telling it to appreciate what you have. Ask yourself, "Will getting something new really make me feel happy?" Make a list of things you are happy about in your home environment right now. Consider the conveniences you have that did not exist fifty years ago (or even ten). Consider the comforts you take for granted that your parents or grandparents did not have. Consider what other family members or pets feel comfortable with.

a clear view of seasonally changing nature
your favorite books in the bookcase
the reliability of appliances like the refrigerator
a place to park your car
the comforting sound of a wind chime
a dictionary by the bed
watching a DVD movie in your living room
a blanket spread out on the ground to watch the stars
answering machines and caller ID
the security offered by a rubber bath mat
candles lit for dinnertime
the art of folding paper napkins
garbage-pickup day
knowing where (practically) everything is

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