Challenge 1: Day One

As I sit watching heavy, grey clouds move swiftly northeast above me, I reflect on Day One of my weekly challenge.

The challenge of remembering to seek unconditional happiness began today -- and it disembarked on murky, choppy waters.  After a testing week-long family illness (we're on Day 7 of The Bettis Family Sickness of 2012... it even took my voice away for a day, but not my spirit...), today began with coughs and sniffles peppered with stress and tension.  Looking skyward for sunshine was amiss, too.  The doom and gloom hovers over our small city like a Zoloft commercial -- it's been raining literally nonstop for 48 hours.  I wondered how I would ever find all the happiness I could out of today under these conditions.  But ladies and gentlemen, I did it.  I found the unconditional happiness.  I didn't truly find it until later in the day, but I found it.

I decided that I would use driving as my trigger into remembering to breathe.  Driving opens my mind up.  Everything becomes clear when I'm behind the wheel, so it seemed to me the ideal trigger for my first challenge.  Today I used my driving time to relax and release anything that I was holding on to -- and I was holding on to a lot.  Like I mentioned, we're on Day 7 of sickness, Kennedy has another tooth coming through and has been cranky for as long as it's been raining, and I'm planning her first birthday party for this weekend at our house.  I got a bit bogged down over the weekend with it all, and it feels exhilarating to let that tension go.  To do that, I followed the steps I mention in my previous post.  It was simple.

The thing is, I don't hop into my car too often a day with being a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom).  In fact, some days I don't drive at all.  However, this week my challenge will continue with driving as my trigger, and I will take baby steps into remembering to sit in the seat of self.  First I will use my drive time, then I hope to be awesome enough to remember each time I shower, open a door, pour a drink or say "Oh Toodles!!" (Yeah, we say that a lot 'round here...).

Once I relaxed and released tonight, there was a small break in the clouds above me so that I could see a sliver of beautiful, blue sky (but of course it was still raining).  Here's to crystal blue skies, warm sunshine, and clear cool air to easily open up the happiness chambers -- On to Day Two...