I've Seen Better Days

It’s only Wednesday but I think I’ve already had it with the bad news bear this week. Like an impatient child in a car ride, I want to ask the weekend, “Are we there yet?”

A friend’s mother just passed away from cancer. My dog has an enlarged heart and congested lungs and needs to be on heart medication possibly for the rest of his life. My mom fell and injured herself on a hill when she went exercising, and my legs are still sore for some reason from a measly 5k that I did more than 3 days ago! (For a former marathon runner, that is pretty pathetic).

To quote Sublime, “I’ve seen better days”.

In short, I’m not feeling so hot. I need a pick me up. “A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down” if you will. Luckily, I found it Tristan Shout Brando’s website, http://www.thebrightsideproject.com/. Tristan’s website’s goal is to deliver sunshine daily and with my windowless office, I could sure use it! Tristan has collaborated with accessory designers during the month of March for a daily accessory giveaway. All you need to do is submit a response to a question posed by the accessory designer. Questions include anything from, “If you had a chance for a do-over, what would it be?, If money were no object, what idea or project would you pursue? What was one of the most memorable compliments you received” and the list goes on. Tristan posts the winning responses as well as the beautiful trinkets they received for their thoughtful entry.

I’m so appreciative of Tristan’s idea and her bold plans to put a smile on someone’s face. Her project is really derived out of love and I love that about it. In fact, reading through the questions posed and the heartfelt responses by people has lessened the myopic vision of which I am seeing my life right now. Professors at UCSD and Harvard have conducted studies on happiness and have found conclusive evidence that if we surround ourselves around those who are happy, who keep a mentally positive outlook on life, we too will have a greater likelihood to be happy. Websites like Tristan’s and reading about people who love their life, who they are, what they do, and those around them inspires me and reminds me that life should be cherished as well as those in it. Whether it is a beloved family member (mom) or family pet (Kahluah). Work and worries come second. Love and relationships should come first.

Yes, I may have seen better days but nothing should be stopping me from making today a good one and thanks to Tristan Shout Brando, it is already a little bit brighter.