Fostering Happiness Through Awareness — 2 of 31
or “Taking in the good with Milo”
I’m a patron of Ninja Writers and this is day two of the May Medium Post-a-Day Challenge of blogging for 30 consecutive days.
I had a tough time waking up this morning at 5 AM. I had been waking up fresh for the past week, bright and ready for 6 AM CrossFit. But, I snoozed Alexa THREE TIMES this morning.
I was kind of hoping for this:
“Alexa, snooze.”
“Okay, playing Best of Babies Crying Volume 1 From Prime Music.”
“Fine. Shit.”
I finally crawled out of bed in time to throw on my gear, take my pre-workout, and head out the door.
It was even a workout full of pull-ups (my favorite exercise). But, I still felt sluggish and slow. I struggled with some anxiety and though it didn’t slow down my workout, it amplified the negative feelings. I did my best to remind myself not to get discouraged, since bad workout days can and will happen, but it irked me the short drive back home.
For the past three weeks, my post workout routine looked something like this: Get home, walk Milo, feed Milo, breakfast, shower, dress, grab lunch/Milo, head to work. I got home and my foster dog, Milo, was sitting on the long couch with my UCLA fleece blanket (a moving gift from a friend).
I sat down with him to give him some love and he did something he hadn’t done before. He placed his nose over my leg and went back to sleep. At first, I thought I’d sit for a second and then get back to my routine. But, I suddenly recalled a passage I had read from the book “Hardwiring Happiness” by Rick Hanson (bottom of page 84):
“…as you go through your day, there will be many moments when there’s something positive in the front of your mind, such as the good smell of coffee, warm feelings for a friend, or a sense of relief as the day finally winds down. Each time you notice and take in one of these good experiences is a break in the daily race, a kind of pit stop for respite and refueling…”
So, it wasn’t just adorable, it broke the negative slump I was in because I stopped forcing my way through the day and simply let it come to me.
The joy of Milo’s content and purr/snort mixture that dogs do to express it. Knowing I had plenty of time at 7:22 to enjoy the moment before work.
The cool air in the house. Knowing a nice shower after a tough workout was waiting for me. Eating a delicious breakfast, drinking water and taking electrolyte supplements to refresh/re-energize me. Financial stability.
All the sluggishness and trouble from earlier just melted away.
I just needed something to bring me back to the awareness of all the good that was around me.
