Intentional Happiness

I wrote awhile back about "enough" and how I was tired of only doing that and no more. I also wrote about how I have been cooking more recently. Guess what? I'm happier when I do that. I made this full on 3 component meal the other day--chicken, sweet potato gnocchi, and kale (noticing a kale trend? I'm mildly obsessed.) The sweet potato gnocchi was TJ's, but I still made 3 components in a dinner just for me and I was just happy to eat it! It does not take much--just a little effort to make my own day a little better goes a long long way. I think I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend Mariana, who regularly makes herself a full-on egg, sausage, pancake brunch on a weekly basis. When I heard this I was stunned. Going out of your way to do something nice for yourself*--it was like a foreign concept to me. But it is something we should all do more often. Take care of your own soul. With food, with friends, with whatever you need. Find what it is for you, and do it. This is not a hard concept, but for me, it's one I'm still learning.

*it should be noted that Mariana (and a bunch of my other friends too) also goes out of her way to do nice things for other people all the time too. i have excellent friends.