Finding Your "Happy Place"

Finding Nemo has got to be one of my all time favorite movies.  It's not only a funny movie that also tries to teach kids some great lessons.  It is also a movie that has some great lessons for adults too!  One of the biggest messages/lessons that I got from the movie was from Dory and Crush.  Yes, Dory is a little ditsy and off-the-wall, but aren't we all a little?  Yes, Crush is extremely laid back - a trait I think most of us could do more with.  But, the biggest lesson these two remind me of is that we all need to enjoy life and find our happy place!

Dory is battling short term memory loss and trouble seems to find her.  But despite her issues in life, she tries to take on each situation with an attitude filled with positivity.  The reality is that life will have its' ups and downs.  We will have days that we simply want to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets all day.  However, that really doesn't solve much.  I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason......good and not-so-good.  When we are faced with a tough situation, we need to accept it for what it is, learn from it, and deal with it in the best way possible.  Yes, I also understand that is much easier said than done.  For years I have been the poster child for "freaking out" over even smallest of glitches in my life.  Yet, over the past couple of years I have been fervently working to learn from the battles and hard times, accept them(with even a half hearted smile) and move on.  I have a way to go, but I am seeing progress.

A big part of this process of progress, of accepting my tough days and hard lessons, has been learning how to relax more.  Crush is a perfect example of this.  He seems to take life in stride, accepting what is and going with the flow of life.  At one point in the movie his son "slips" out of the current.  He makes a statement that he basically trusts that his "little dude" is going to be just fine.  He just knows it.  Sometimes letting our children go, taking chances, and simply trusting that life will be "OK" is a very hard thing to do.  But, as I have started to put my faith in trusting life and trying to accept what is going on around me for what it is and learning from it, I have also found myself more relaxes.  There are even times my husband has asked if I am "OK" because I am talking more calmly and acting more relaxed in situations that used to freak me out a bit.

A big part of bringing both happiness and relaxation into my life has been finding my happy place.  My ultimate "Happy Place" is sitting in a chair on the beach, my feet buried in the sand, sun warming my body, and just existing as I listen to the waves crashing on the shore.  However, in reality(at least at this point in my life), I can't wave a wand and be at the beach every time I am stressed or having a rough day.  So, I have turned to meditation(of sorts).  When I find myself getting stressed and worked up over something, I now try to slow down for a moment, recognize what is causing these feelings and see if there is anything I can do to correct it.  I try to learn from it.  I accept it for what it is and then I begin to simply breathe.  I push all thoughts from my mind.  If a thought pops in, I excuse it.  To do this I focus on my breathing.  I lay(or sit) down, close my eyes, and as I breathe in I mentally say to myself "I am breathing in".  As I breathe out mentally tell myself "I am breathing out".  I really focus on breathing and trying to relax my body.  I do his for 5 minutes or longer and I find that I really begin to relax and I can think more clearly.

My life lesson today --- well, the reality is that life can down right suck at times.  But, if we try to stay positive, if we accept the hardships for what they are and learn, if we try to relax a bit and trust in life, and if we simply find our own happy place life can be just a little bit easier and a lot more enjoyable.  Life is too short to worry so much.  Live life, love life, and be happy!