Perplexingly, but Utterly, Happy

One again I have a confession to make to you, my friends of the internet.

It's something that has been weighing on my mind.

I just have to get it off my chest.

I am 100%, undeniably, happy with every aspect of my life.

There. I said it. I'm crazytown happy and in love with life.

Wait. WAIT. Don't click away just yet. I promise I'm not just boasting, bragging or bluffing here.

See that oddly placed word in my title? Yes, I said "perplexingly" happy. What the heck does that mean, you may be wondering. Well, see I was wondering too.

Let me lay out some of my life facts for you and perhaps you will see the source of my confusion.

I am teacher at a rural school, where my ideas are not appreciated and usually ignored, in spite of my experience and proven successes. (oh and don't forget that teachers in FLA-particularly my district- get paid diddly squat)

I live in my hometown.  A hometown that I ran kicking and screaming away from after graduating high school.  (Frankly I am still a bit "embarrassed" to have returned to teach after acting such a "big shot" about how I was "getting out" all through school)

My hometown is an hour away from civilization. (And by civilization I mean, Gainesville, which many could question it's worthiness of the label "civilized")

I rent from my parents. On their property. (As in I see the back of their house from my front porch.)

I'm a good 15 lbs away from my ideal weight.

My dog has cancer.

I'm single. 

As a girl I always thought I'd date my husband to be for ~5 years before we got married. I thought I'd be married before I turned 30. (Note, these weren't "goals" just these concepts I've had for a long time.)

I'm closer to the age of 26 these days then 25. You do the math.

So, overall it looks like the cards should be against me. I mean all the points above do not really sound like the ideal life for a fabulous 25 year old foodie and wannabe fashionista. But for reasons I still don't quite understand none of the above is getting me down. (ok, not 100% true, Chubby having cancer is really, really, really shitty, but it's also part of life, so I'm dealing with it.)

I love my little abarnment. I love my students and seeing their eyes light up when we do something "cool" in class. I love my wardrobe of clothes, so 15 lbs be damned, I look good. And luckily I love my parents dearly and enjoy seeing them everyday.

If you too would like to have this feeling of being geninely "high on life" I have only two suggestions for you.

1- Revel in the little things.
        
Little things like random flowers blooming in the dead of winter. (see my silly bromeliad above for an example) Little things like receiving a complementary cup of coffee at Starbucks just for returning an empty bean bag. Little things like encouraging a shy student to share their opinion in class. Little things like a brisk winter walk with a friend.

Those kinds of little things in life. Things that are mostly free and always worth keeping your eyes open for.

2- Play the smile game.

This one is simple. Just smile at someone until they smile back. (make sure your smile is genuine, otherwise you just come off as a creep or mentally unstable, ok?) You both will feel instantly happier. I love the smile game. I made it up last year and it's the best thing about my day sometimes.

I don't know if those two things are really the cause of my ridiculous feelings of happiness (hell, my hormones may just be bonkers out of balance from copious amounts of Christmas Sugar), but they do seem like some good guidelines for life, don't you agree?

Phew, thanks for listening to all that mushy happy stuff, guys. I'll do my best to return to my snarky gal self as soon as possible, because honestly one of the things that makes me most happy is all my "imaginary friends" on the internet!

Love to all,
~the happy gal, Jess