As Thanksgiving approaches gratitude is on the forefront of my mind. When I think of gratitude I also think of happiness. In my opinion the two go hand-in-hand, so when I heard about my dad’s “Happiness Calendar” I knew I had to share the idea. My dad likes to keep track of things, miles biked, vertical miles skied, days traveling, you name it he tracks it. He probably spends as much time tracking things as he does actually doing them. Nevertheless this “Happiness Calendar” is one I can totally get behind. The idea is to write down on a calendar one thing that made you happy that day. It doesn’t have to be the biggest or happiest moment just something that contributed to your happiness.
On days when happiness isn’t so obvious he revisits his “Happiness Calendar.” Just that little bit of reflection serves as a reminder that happiness is always within reach. There’s never a short supply of reasons to be happy or grateful. Life gives us plenty to be upset about but when we approach life with the idea there’s something good to be found in every day the negative thoughts take a backseat. Reflecting on the smallest happy moment of the day puts into perspective how much he has to be grateful for in general.
His three-hundred and sixty-five recorded moments of joy are the tip of the iceberg of his thankfulness. One blessing a day is far under the number of happy things that happen in a single day. Dad’s “Happiness Calendar” is great way to remind yourself that life is good even on days when it doesn’t feel like it. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to count your blessings, start tracking them now. There’s much to be happy about, you might be surprised at how much.
