Happy.

5 Things That I'm Grateful For, in no particular order:

1. Moby - the extra furry one who wakes me up in the morning with purrs and kisses. I don't even need an alarm clock, he is that consistent.

2. Netflix & RedBox - as a girl on a budget, I appreciate having a library of movies available at my fingertips at home instead of going out to the theaters.

3. Arizona Ave - Running outside would be much less appealing without Arizona Ave, my straight shot (and flat!) route to the beach.

4. Quiet Neighbors - it hasn't always been this way, but our apartment building is finally quiet and peaceful. It no longer feels like I'm living in a post-college dorm! Wahoo!

5. Family nearby - my sister lives only a few minutes away and I appreciate having a  home away from home. Sometimes you just want to wear your PJ's somewhere else, right?

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This list is brought to you by a documentary called Happy. Last weekend, Jackie, Nats and I couldn't decide on a Sunday night movie (too many options! See #2) and decided to watch this documentary that explores what causes human happiness. One of the things that I learned is that 50% of what causes our happiness is in our DNA (our general disposition), and our surrounding circumstances only account for 10%! The remaining 40% is up to you; essentially, we have the power to determine our own happiness.

I don't know about you, but I'm often always thinking about whatever's next for me. What's my next apartment going to be like? Is my job turning into my career? Do I want it to? What city will I explore next? My favorite part of Happy was when the producers visited Okinawa, Japan and they interviewed a woman who farmed all her life. She had a huge smile on her face and found her happiness in being outside, growing her own food and feeding her community on her chemical-free produce. She seemed to have no worries about a 401K, debt, or "needing" _______ (you fill in the blank). Another woman was 106 years old and she looked fantastic! Her secret? Lots of sleep and a cup of sake every night! If I remember correctly, she lived on Okinawa her entire life and she was content because she had found a community and support system in her neighborhood, family and friends. Society today tells us that we have to make "this much" money to be happy. We have to have "this many" friends. We have to accomplish "this cool thing" to feel fulfilled. But that's not necessarily true...sometimes I feel like we have it all wrong.

There are so many more take-aways from this documentary, but for the purpose of this post I will focus on one. Do this Daily: List out 5 things that you are grateful for, or 5 things that make you happy, and it can have a profound effect on your overall happiness. Seems easy enough!

(If you made it this far...WOW...congrats!)

So...what makes you happy today?

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Photo credit: "Daydreamer" by Tvir on Flickr