Happy For No Reason: My Honest View of Life!

I was on the phone yesterday with a friend and she was saying how she envies my ability to "be happy for no reason," and she asked me how I do it. I took it as a compliment. And while the following may sound like it's coming from a place of anger, it isn't. This is part of what I said to her.

I know I've been a little caught up in myself lately. All about me; my homework, my wedding, my, my, my, my, my, me, me, me, me.....in all reality I'm sure that can get exhausting.

But make no mistake, I am accutely AWARE of the WORLD around me. I try and pay as much attention to it as I can. But you know what, if I read EVERY news story and watched EVERY newscast and knew about EVERYTHING....how depressed would I be! I think being caught up in yourself is not always a bad thing if it means that keeps you a little saner! (And I AM aware of and tuned into the happenings/events of my friends and family. I know what's going on with each of them; the battles they're facing, the struggles they're enduring, and the happy points in their life!

I think being an AWARE citizen is important; knowing what's going on in your country and in the world is also important. But, there comes a point when you realize that you cannot change nor fix the world.

You can do your part, contribute in different ways, and then move on. It seems our society SAYS we should be happy, and that happiness is vital for a good life, but EVERYTHING you read/see/witness is quite the contrary!

Honestly, who the heck would be HAPPY about the way the world is going; money woes, natural disasters, death, disease and so on.

Our country is in such a financial crisis that it's just digusting. EVERYONE I know, including myself, is facing some kind of financial strain. EVERYONE! It's just maddening. Not having enough money, having enough money but wondering for how long, the banks closing, the government having to bail out Fanny Mae and AIG....and on and on and on. Foreclosures, bankruptcies, etc, etc. It's incredibly stressful and worrisome and horrible.

If I let my financial burdens rule my life, I'd be absolutely miserable. So I don't. I know damn well that money cannot and does not buy happiness; it does, however, buy relief. That's kind of when/where/why I live on faith. (And a bit of income and a really hard working fiance'!) I KNOW that there's a Higher Power up there who DOES love and care about me, who wants good things for me and WILL provide me with exactly what I NEED. I may not always get everything I want (adults rarely do), but I have what I need. And that's good enough, because I truly appreciate everything I do have!

Back to a society and the world itself. We used to have places that were "safer" than others; from natural disasters, from shootings, etc, etc...now there's shootings in churches and a new natural disaster EVERY DAY! And not just natural disasters occasionally in a few parts of the world, but natural disasters EVERYWHERE, and repeat natural disasters at that! Who can be happy about that? I certainly can't!

It's heartbreaking to me when I turn on the news or take a good hard look at the world in general. Yes, it's grand and beautiful and still has a lot of hope and greatness to it, but overall, the world has gone half crazy and seems to be getting crazier every day! I believe that we are absolutely at a turning point on this earth; it's either going to go one of two ways; get much, much worse to the point where what we're experiencing TODAY will seem like the GOOD OLD DAYS! Or, where human beings as a race and collective society will take responsibility for their actions, try and clean up the mess we've made and start taking care of our planet and of each other! And a lot of times, I really believe we're doing the latter, I just hope it's not too late!

Life as an adult is FAR harder than I ever thought it would be, and I don't even have it that hard. My life, relatively speaking, is actually pretty damn easy. I'm not going hungry, in a slave/sex trade industry, burned, mamed, limbless, homeless, car-less, or drowning in rising waters around my home!

So I'm having trouble breathing lately, yes, but I'm not in a hospital, having a surgery, hooked up to a zillion cords/tubes, the victim of a horrendous car accident or crime, and I'm walkin' and talkin'. Is my own life perfect? Absolutely not. There's actually parts of it I do not like at all, but I make the concious choice, every single day of my life, to not look at them. I face them, deal with them as best I can, and then look to the positive. I've got lots to be grateflul for. It's actually ridiculous (in a good way) how incredibly blessed I am.

I've always had that ability to be happy for no apparent reason. Always. But, I must admit, it's hard to do. There's times when I get angry, FRUSTRATED and downright pissed off about certain things. I think it is HIGHLY unfair that my body dictates the choices I make in my life. And believe me, it does! I think it's HIGHLY unfair that I, as a 24 year old engaged woman, am physically UNABLE to work a full-time job and contribute financially, to my household. I think it's really unfair that some people in my life continue to do nothing with their life and yet always expect me to fix it for them (And no, it's not my Colin or anyone on MySpace.)

I think a lot of times, life just sucks. It's hard and unfair and makes no sense at all. I DO HAVE THOSE THOUGHTS & MOMENTS! I AM HUMAN, I AM REAL! I am not completely unaware of the way the world is, how it works or how freakin' crazy/nuts it is. I just CHOOSE to BE HAPPY ANYWAY!!!

Complaining everyday, endless bitching, and constantly playing the victim in life is a WASTE of TIME & ENERGY. It's a waste of substance. I've got tons of great reasons to be happy, and lots to be happy for! And that is how I choose to live my life! It's not always easy, it's not always fun, but it is what it is.

Part of being a grown up and maturing into an actual adult is learning to ACCEPT YOUR REALITY. And by that, I do NOT mean settling for things, or taking less than what you rightfully deserve. I do not mean staying in a relatinoship or job or anything that you're completely unhappy with and have SOME ability to change. I do NOT mean being happy with less than what you NEED. But I do mean just accepting your life for what it is. Change what you can, and let the rest go!

We're only human and we can only do so much. Not everything has to be solved or fixed in ONE day. Not everything has to accomplished overnight.

We experience a constant learning curve in this life, and that's okay. But accepting what your life is, the reality of it, and being HAPPY ANWYAY, is so vitally important! So that's why I am happy. And if I'm happy for no reason, than good for me! And if you are too, than good for you too! More power to all of us!

It's not some new-age concept, it's not some state of the art, financially rich concept. It's not a fault or a flaw, and it's not something to be jealous of. Being happy in spite of the craizness of life is a grand choice and probably the best gift one can ever give themselves.

Give yourself the permission to be happy, RIGHT NOW. Be happy now, not when/when/when...."when" is illusive and may not ever show up, so be happy NOW. Or at least try! And also, give yourself the permission to complain OCCASIONALLY (we all need a place/time to vent, it's highly unhealthy if we don't), the permission to live and let live and the permission to be a HUMAN-BEING! And not just a human-doing!

Thank you Lord for the happiness in my heart! The incredible friends in my life! And for all the very real logistical reasons why I should/can/am the happiest I've ever been!

In Light N' Love,

-Sarah Liz :)

Do Single Women Make Casseroles?

Wierd thought, I know...but seriously, do single women make casseroles?

It just crossed my mind this morning.

I never liked casseroles, or the making of them for that matter, until about two weeks ago.

Seriously, I don't know why I like them so much, now. I must be "nesting," my way into marriage...I've heard of women "nesting," before they have a baby, I'm not pregnant, but I am preparing for actual married life. And living it in the maentime. Part of that for me involves cooking. Now, let me make it abundantly clear that my future husband is a fantastic cook! I wouldn't be marrying him if he didn't know how to cook, and the fact that he's so good at it, is just wonderful! But, I like casseroles now. I don't like the brocoli thing (I only like brocolli two ways: broiled the way my man makes it, or raw), and I'm not into ODD ingreditens in my casseroles; but sqaush casseroles, or pasta bakes, or just things that are baked in the oven with a few ingredients, that I can prepare, bake off and eat on for DAYS....(and/or freeze as well) yeah, I'm all for that!

As much I love cooking, I don't care to do it 7 days a week, casseroles or pasta bakes are an easy way to make A LOT of food with a little effort that can last for days!!! :) The downside is if it comes out wrong, that's a lot of food, time and money down the drain (or rather, in the garbage!).

I've been creating lots of new recipies lately, and I'm normally not a recipe girl. I really don't like to measure things. I much prefer the "chop & drop," method, but I can appreciate the necessity of measuring at certain times.

Maybe this fall (it hasn't really started for Vegas and won't for at least another month) I'll finally get into baking--THAT would really be shocking to me!

I am totally confidant in my cooking skills, but my baking skills; I've always left that up to my grandmother because she's so damn good at it. That women can bake ANYTHING, and I must admit, I miss her freshly baked goodies pretty much all of the time! :)

Cooking is a source of comfort, solace and peace! It's a happy, creative hobby for me and I just enjoy it thoroughly! Sure, there are plenty of times I DON'T want to cook (and on those nights, Colin is more than happy/willing/able to whip up something yummy for us). But overall, I'm just enjoying cooking again!

For breakfast/brunch this morning, I made a big huge salad! I know,bI'm a wierd girl! Oh, but it was so darn good; red leaf lettuce (my favorite), corn, carrots, celery, zuchinni, freshly chopped parlsey, red onions, cannelini beans....oh just positively delicious! Since I don't normally drink anyway, and 11am is definately too early for a drink, I put my water in a wine glass and sipped while I chopped & dropped the ingredients for my salad! I even hand chopped the garlic this moring, which I RARELY do anymore. A microplane is the BEST tool for chopping/mincing/working with garlic, lemme tell ya! So wonderful! I also made my signature lemon vinegarette, with oregano, garlic and really good extra-virgin olive oil! Oh, worth standing in line for. And I feel SO much BETTER now! I was angry this morning, but after eating a BIG FRESH SALAD, I feel a hundred times better. I think diet has a ALOT to do with attitude/health/wealth/mental states...I really believe that a lack of fresh ingredients/food, lack of vitamins can and does often lead to depression. Think about it, our grandparents didn't have this kind of depression running rampant through their society, and we do. Perhaps is becasue they ate mostly all fresh food, made from scratch and we, as a society, pretty much eat packaged crap--chemically induced, preservative filled garbage! THAT can't possibly be good for our bodies or our minds/mental state.

I'm sure part of the reason I felt better after I ate the salad is that I enjoyed the process of making it, but fresh veggies with great salad dressing works wonders, this I know for sure!

I really have to thank my mother for imbeddnig such wonderful eating habbits into me from such a very young age. I really believe that spending part of my childhood in a 1,500 sq. ft. garden had a lot to do wtih my love affair of fresh ingredients; veggies, fruits and so on!

I was lisetning to the TV and hearnig about how obesity is an epidemic in this country (DUH!), and I think it's because people were never taught HOW to eat propperly in the first place! I think most people can eat anything, you just can't eat ALL of everything, even I can't do that.

I get frustrated with my diet sometimes because it is a bit restricted, not because of weight loss or calories, but because certain foods do NOT agree with my already messed-up digestive system, so I have to be choosy about what I eat--always have been, always will be. Perhaps that's more of a blessing than a curse because I'm accutely aware of what I put into my body! I have to be. But, honestly, if people would learn PORTION control and what REAL FERSH FOOD tastes like, I can gaurantee you, this county wouldn't be as fat as it is!

Also, HEALTHY FOODS are SO FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE! I don't splurge on a lot in my life; I don't get my nails or hair done, I don't get facials or massages, and I RARELY buy new clothes; but I EAT HEALTHY!

To me, eating healthy is a necessity, not a luxary; perhaps if people made their DIETS (and I don't mean lack of food or calorie counting) a priority or necessity, this country, again, wouldn't be as heavy as it is. I'm not saying dieting is easy, I've had to diet before (about three years ago I was not allowed to have butter, soda or onions--pure hell for me). It sucks and it's hard. Diets don't work because you can't keep them up. It's a LIFESTYLE change, that I totally believe. My point is, if HEALTHY FOOD WERE CHEAPER, this country wouldn't be so fat.

Everyone is so incredibly strained, financially speaking, today that people don't have the option of AFFORDING HEALTHY FOOD. It's so damn expensive. Think about it, a 99c cheeseburger or a $5 salad.....I'm not a math whiz, but think about it, financially speaking, even I'd take the cheeseburger! But the sad thing is that saving a few dollars NOW...ordering the 99c burger instead of the $5 salad, it may save you money TODAY...but it will NOT save you money TOMROROW, or in the yeras to come! The affects of that cheeseburger, or multiple ones, are horrendous; not just in terms of weight gain but in overall health. Sure, it's completely yummy, I agree, but overall, in the long run, my mother was right; ANYTHING IN MODERATION IS FINE, ANYTHING IN EXCESS WILL KILL YOU! Simple as that. Even too much salad isn't such a good thing, and then it's what you put IN and ON the salad that also become important. I think everything in life has good and bad points to it; including food.

My food downfalls are fries, doughnuts and candy. I can have myself a pretty serious sweet tooth when I want to. I have to fight the urge to not eat more sugar than I already do! But it's important to me. It's all about BALANCING and PRIORITIZING.

It's not about NOT eating, it's about eating the right things at the time and ENJOYING what you eat.

I think you have to enjoy food. If you don't want to eat that cookie, or it doesn't taste good, than don't eat it. It's not rocket science.

Everything is about convienance now, quick, easy, fast....well, you know what, there's something to be said for food that's made low & slow. There's a time and place for quick and easy meals, and a time and place for "food of love," meals.

Anyway, I've gotten WAY off topic, as usual, but I really do wonder if single women make casseroles. The next one I want to try is a zuchinni one, then a potato one, I love potatoes!

I enjoy eating, that's pretty evident, but I also don't let it over consume my life. I don't obsess about it, I watch what I eat for the good of my overall health, but I don't blugeon myself if/when I have some extra sweets or treats.

Life is too short to not enjoy it!

Thank you Lord for the love of fresh food, the delicious salad this morning (I know, no one else eats salad for breakfast), my friends, family and even that damn homework that doesn't seem to be dimishing. LOL! But, please, can I breathe better now, please, could you make that happen, that's all I'm askin' right now; the ability to breathe easily, without conflict or medicine, and honestly, I don't think that's too much to ask! Please bless all of my family & friends and keep all our numerous blessings coming, thanks for everything, Lord!

In Light N' Love,

-Sarah Liz :)