After years of me complaining and searching, I am excited to announce that I have found the one!
No. Not a boy. A book!
You know when a book changes your life? Not to sound dramatic, which we all know I am, but after years of hearing people say that, I finally found the one.
I used to think my favorite book was Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer just because I found the thought of retiring the idea of sentimentality and going off into the wilderness to be fascinating and something I would never in a million years do - I don’t like camping. I then found out more details about his childhood, and by his I mean Chris McCandless’s, and it made me look at the situation from a different perspective.
That book really made me think about life and what is important in it. Maybe he was right. I don’t need a new car, or new clothes or shoes. I don’t need money. Well, maybe I do need some money. But his point was that there is plenty out there in the world to make you happy that you don’t need to purchase in a store.
Speaking of the 'h word’, at the end of last year, my mom left a book in my room for me to leaf through. It was called 14,000 Things to be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer. It was literally a book filled with an ongoing list of 14,000 things that have made her happy throughout the years: squooshing ice-cream sandwiches, TV football on mute, a good Monday and the movie We Bought a Zoo are just four of thousands.
Hm. What a simple yet fantastic idea, I thought.
I’ve always been one to keep a journal. My first one was a gift from my sister for Christmas one year. It was blue and had a big M on it and was from Justice. It was a gold mine of middle school gossip. I wrote down a list of my fifth grade crushes, and out of that list, who I thought I would marry and why. I wrote down a list of the most annoying people in my class, girls and boys. Too bad I haven’t been able to find that sucker in years - Mom, I give you permission to tear apart my room to find it.
I eventually graduated to leather bound books, where I tried to keep a daily record of what happened and how I was feeling. Senior year I was really good at it. College it was harder; I didn’t have as much time.
And honestly, I now realize that the way I was journaling was counterproductive. Yes, I was writing down my thoughts and my feelings. But, I found that if those thoughts or feelings were negative, I was just re-hashing them on paper instead of letting them go. Writing them down meant I was holding onto them longer than I needed to be.
Then I found this book. What did I do when I found it? I went to Walgreens and tried to find the cutest, most Megan journal I could. Perfectly enough, I found a blue and green (two of my favorite colors) watercolor-y journal that said “all the little things” on the cover. I’m sorry, could I have found a more PERFECT and FITTING notebook for this task?
Every night before bed I write a few things down that made me happy that day, whether it be something I ate, something I did, a song I like, or if nothing comes to mind, I think back on happy memories and write those down.
Here are a few things I have written down in my book: a hot shower after a cold rainy soccer game, ABC Family Harry Potter weekend marathons at home, sourdough bread and falling asleep to the Dear John piano soundtrack.
It’s something that I have recommended to all of my friends and something I love to share. I have a friend who lost a parent recently. I told him that this was something that helped me focus more on the positive things, which is something everyone needs to practice doing, and that he should give it a try.
What did he do? He went out to Target, got him and his mom super cool notebooks and a pack of new, colorful pens, ordered the book on Amazon and started doing it that night. It made me so happy.
People. I am telling you. It’s so simple and you might not think that it matters, but writing down even just one thing everyday that makes you happy or smile is so important. And think how cool it will be to look back on when you finish your own book! I am almost halfway through mine and I love flipping through my old pages.
Here are my first three entries: Home, first bite of pizza, smell of laundry detergent.
Here are my last three entries: How pancakes have become part of my daily routine, having a red nose after walking in the cold, Trader Joe’s.
Now it’s your turn.
This book changed my life and the way I think about things. It’s so easy to dwell on the mistakes you’ve made and think about the past. It’s much easier said than done to focus on the good and the positive and this is such a good way to get into the habit of doing so.
Feel free to write down in the comments what your favorite book is and why it changed your life! And if you do choose to do start this, send me a picture of your journal!
