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Saturday, May 30, 2015

Restoring Happiness


Ever have a low energy day? I’m going through one right now. Last weekend my family had a campfire and I somehow managed to get bitten by mosquitoes over FIFTY TIMES on my feet. Crazy, huh? Something else that’s crazy – I’m allergic to mosquito bites. While some people might feel a small bump, or be mildly itchy, my skin turns RED, SWELLES, and ITCHES with a similar intensity to poison ivy.

So, over the past few days I’ve been taking allergy medication, putting my feet up, and trying not to stress over the fact that my toes look as if they had been gnawed on by a yeti. My workouts have been derailed and on the rare occasions when I leave the house, I have been wearing long pants and socks  so I don’t get bitten even more. (did I mention that we're in the middle of a heat wave?)

I’m not saying this to get pity. Rather, I’m telling you this because it helps put things into perspective, and perspective, I believe, is one of the keys to happiness in our lives.

When plans get derailed, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or depressed. Believe me, I know. As humans, it’s natural to focus on the negative in our lives. Sometimes this is beneficial. Thinking about negative things can help us to change things for the better. It can push us to strive for greatness or force us to come up with a novel way of doing things. Sometimes however, we can’t change what has happened, and we must somehow learn to cope.

For May, one of the blog themes is the lily of the valley, a flower that represents restored happiness. I’m convinced that stepping back and reflecting on our blessings  helps us to cope with the negative and restore balance and happiness in our lives.

So, as the swelling in my feet finally starts to fade, I am thankful for all of the small things  – family, friends, the opportunity to do something I love for a living. The list goes on and on.
What are some of the blessings in your life right now? Tell me about it in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!

**CONTEST**
On June 2nd, my book, AT HIS SERVICE, will hit bookstores. This marks the first time one of my stories will be found in brick and mortar stores nationwide and I want to celebrate! If you see my book “in the wild,” take your picture with it and send a .jpg of the photo, the bookstore name and city it was found, and the names of the people in the picture to suzannerockauthor(at)gmail(dot)com. Your picture will be included on my brand new FAN PAGE on my website (coming in August). You will also be entered for a chance to win gift packs from my swag bag! Squee! Ten percent of all entrants will win, so the number of winners will depend on the number of people entering the contest. If more people enter, then more will win! How cool is that? Contest is open from June 1st until June 25th. Entries after June 25th will not be used.





4 comments:

Lynda Bailey said...

So sorry for your mosquito mishap! It sounds just awful. :( But I love your "perspective" on the situation. :) If more people turned the negative into a positive, the world would be such a better place. Thank you for reminding me of that. And here's to having normal-sized feet again!

Cara Marsi said...

Suzanne, I'm so sorry for the mosquito bites. I admire the way you put everything into perspective. I'll look for your book the next time I'm in BN. I love the cover. Best of luc to you.

Melissa Keir said...

I'm sorry about the bug bites. They can be very debilitating. I liked the post. It's so important to put live in perspective. When we focus on the negative, all we see is the bad things and push others away. It's like what we put out in the world will come back to us!

jean hart stewart said...

Good post. I'm mildly allergic to those pesky bites, have one on my instep right now that's driving me bats. Can only imagine how you must feel. Sending much sympathy, and as always, lots of sales..

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