Two weeks ago, I stared out the window and thought Where is Happy?

I needed to do a long overdue blog and thought that might be a good topic. Even started it with a warning: THIS WILL NOT BE MY TYPICAL HAPPY EVER AFTER BLOG.

I had hit a wall of frustration and distractions with my current writing project and it occurred to me, I don’t smile anymore. I laugh out loud even less.

I hate having to hide my expressions behind a mask and miss the way my heart swells whenever I see my family. I am concerned about the tone of the news and Facebook posts and discouraged with the violence happening in our country. I dislike the selection of movies on TV even more!

Then I figured if I was feeling discouraged, other people were too. Rather than give in to the negativity, I needed to snap out of it.

Writing involves sitting a lot and I decided if I exercised more, I might drop a couple pounds and brighten my attitude. So, I started walking on the treadmill twenty minutes each day and read books on my Kindle to pass the time. Nothing like a good Nora Roberts book to make you forget to watch the clock.

I understand that breathing deeply for two minutes and lavender oils lower your blood pressure. They are next on my journey to the positive side.

I love putting puzzles together and hadn’t done one in a long time. Decided it might relax me, give me a sense of accomplishment. I ordered one on Amazon, anxiously awaited the delivery and put it together in a little over a week. I worked on it in the evenings but will confess to spending five hours on it one day. I am undecided on whether to frame it and waiting for the next to be delivered.

I have started writing another book, two in fact. (Don’t worry, my current project will be done, I just needed a break from it.) Ideas are once again flowing, mysteries evolving. And when I looked out the window just now, I think I caught a glimmer of Happy cheering as my imagination did cartwheels of joy across the yard.

What about you? Are you looking for your Happy? Or have you found a way to cope with these troubling times?