Upon receiving an, “Awww, that’s really nice, Josh” from his Mom, he realized he was on to something.

He then turned to me and said, “Auntie Liz… I”m happy today!”

It made me smile.

He tried to engage his sister, but she ignored him.  So he tried again, “I’m Happy Today!.” And he kept repeating it during the entire 15 minute trip home.  Sometimes to his Mom.  Sometimes to me.  Sometimes to his sister… and sometimes – to no one at all.

And hearing a tired little boy proclaim his happiness to the world was a truly joyful thing.

I’m smiling even now. 

Prior to the holiday, they had attended a kids-only shopping event at their elementary school where they could purchase gifts for $1 and less.

On Chanukah, I gave them my gifts, which they opened with much appreciation and joy.  And they exchanged gifts amongst themselves and with me.

The youngest, my three-year-old nephew, was thrilled to open a new soccer ball and baseball glove.  But what made him shriek with glee?  My 11-year-old niece had given him a little suction cup critter.  The kind that’s on a spring so that when you push it together, the suction cup adheres to the base and gradually loosens, making the little plastic critter pop up and jump into the air. Josh abandoned all other gifts, and played with that plastic critter for quite some time – clapping and shrieking every time it popped and jumped.

And my favorite gift? My niece gave me a button with the word “joy” in white letters on a mauve background. She said she “thought it was my color,” but I suspect she also knew I’d love the sentiment.  I immediately pinned it to my backpack.

The other cool gifts I got from the kids included a lipstick case, a poem, a school photo, and a gumball-machine ring.  My five-year-old niece fell in love with the ring that her 8-year-old sister had given me, so we all agreed that she could have it.

Other gifts they exchanged amongst themselves included stick-on earrings, bookmarks, a lip gloss case, rings, and hand-made cards and drawings.  When the 5-year-old gave the 11-year old a ring inscribed “I love you,” she proudly proclaimed, “Because it’s true!”

In all, it was a fabulous Chanukah.  The kids each spent less than $5 on their holiday gifts this year, yet every purchase was well considered, and each gift was well received.

In this time of belt-tightening, it was nice to be reminded that sometimes a $1 gift can bring as much joy as a $50 gift.  I left there feeling like the richest aunt in the world.

I wish you all a holiday filled with love, laughter, peace, and many simple joys. 

And I had no idea what to do with myself. It was the strangest thing. Since being laid off a couple months ago, I have spent many waking hours online designing and creating logos, editing photos, designing websites and communicating with friends and colleagues.

And suddenly, that world went dark.

All the things I had planned to do — finish email, work on a logo, clean up some photos, watch a little TV — were now out of the question.

Interestingly, an unexpected paradigm shift occurred as I left my office to find a flashlight. I switched over to “camping” mode — a more relaxed and contemplative version of myself. With flashlight in hand, I headed to the garage in search of a battery-operated camping lantern, then rummaged through drawers to find fresh batteries.

With lantern and batteries in hand, I stood outside the garage and pondered the dark and the quiet. It was undeniably serene and peaceful.

My next step was to figure out what to do with my evening. I could take the car and go somewhere or I could stay home and relax. I ultimately decided to head back inside and curl up under the covers with a book. I read for three glorious hours before the electricity came back on.

It’s fascinating how much we depend on power and technology in our lives today. I remember as a child when we lost power it was an exciting adventure. During one blizzard we had no electricity for an entire week, but I was excited that the whole family got to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor near the wood stove. We played games, did crafts, read, played in the snow, and took sponge baths with water heated one pot at a time.

Today, our world is dominated by computers, televisions, and microwave ovens, and we speed through life on overdrive. Until something forces us to stop.

Tonight, for me, that something was a three-hour power failure. It afforded me the opportunity to sit back, reflect, and relax; and I heard the message clearly.

Sometimes it’s important to unplug. Unplug from the noise and the clutter and the complexity: Read a book. Take a walk. Take a bubble bath. Do a craft project. Or indulge in whatever simple pleasure you enjoy.

It will help bring balance to your life. And you’ll feel refreshed and renewed by the time you do decide to plug back in.

During the late ’80s, we lived in the same metropolitan area as we attended graduate school, and we struck up a strong friendship. Our lives were in synch as we reached various milestones together: we met our husbands; had our bridal showers; and got married. I helped coordinate her wedding and she was my matron of honor.

In the ensuing years, I moved five hours away and eventually got divorced. She settled comfortably into family life with a gorgeous home, two children, and a dog.

Needless to say, distance and circumstance pulled us apart, and our phone conversations and visits became less frequent before eventually stopping altogether.

It’s not that we planned on drifting apart. Or even gave it much thought. It just happened as other priorities took hold of our lives.

A few weeks back, I received an invitation to her oldest son’s bar mitzvah, which I accepted without hesitation.

Yesterday I decided to call her to finalize plans. It was so wonderful to hear her voice! Time melted away as we fell into comfortable conversation and tried to catch up on our respective life changes and family matters. As we spoke, it struck me how so many things had changed — but how nothing really had.

And that is the great thing about the connections we make as we travel through life. Friends truly are “the family we choose for ourselves.” When we connect with another human being, he or she becomes a crucial part of the fabric of our lives. And just as with family, the constructs of distance and time do not diminish the love we have for them in our hearts.

The upcoming holiday season is a great time to reconnect with old friends and extended family. Why not make the first move, pick up the phone and make the call? You’ll be happy you did.

It has become an addiction of sorts. But, oh what a happy addiction!

On days when the morning sun shines brightly through my living room window, I place the camera on its tripod, position both kaleidoscope and camera within the beam of light, and start shooting. I’ve snapped the shutter well over a thousand times in the past few weeks, resulting in about 25-30 frames that were visually compelling enough to make the cut.

The cut for what? Well, after noodling a bit on how best to display the photos, I decided to create an oversized kaleidoscope wall calendar with some of the best shots. The images have been coupled with inspiring quotes to add another dimension to the project.

Having become quite attached to some of the individual photos, I also placed them on framed tiles and keepsake boxes, as well as throw pillows and a wide variety of holiday ornaments.

There are 18 ornaments available to date, and these are a few of my favorites:

As I mentioned previously, I’ve become quite enthralled by the colorful moving shapes in my kaleidoscope, and I’m even happier that I can now combine my love of color and light with my love of photography in a way that captures an ephemeral instance for all to share.

So what is your passion? What do you absolutely love to do?

Finding something that you are passionate about is a fabulous way to increase happiness. If you make the time to do something you enjoy, you nurture your soul and enrich your life. And when you’re happy, everyone around you is a little happier too.

As the holidays approach, make sure to carve out a little time just for yourself, to do something you truly enjoy.

It has been widely reported that practicing gratitude can increase happiness. So what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that if we remember to say “thank you” that we’ll be happier?

Well, that’s a part of it.

The studies that reported the best results (a 25% increase in happiness!) used a very specific exercise involving a gratitude journal. Participants in the “grateful” groups wrote down five things they were grateful for each week for ten weeks. By study’s end, they reported feeling better about their lives in general and being more optimistic about the future than participants in the other study groups.

Nearly a year ago, I began my own gratitude journal. On the advice of a mentor, I wrote every day rather than once a week.

So what has happened? I definitely see the world through a brighter lens! Life is good, despite my having faced significant job-related challenges over the past few months.

You might wonder what kinds of things to write in a gratitude journal. Strangely, there is no magic formula. My entries range from the mundane (I’m grateful that I have my friend Karl in my life) to the special (I’m grateful that my niece wanted to spend a night at my house as her birthday present!)

Generally, entries reflect things that happened that day. If I’ve had a particularly difficult day, I try to dig a little deeper to find something for which I am grateful.

Some recent entries:

• I’m grateful that I didn’t get the job at xxxxx, because the commute would have been difficult.
• I’m grateful that I saw a gorgeous buck and doe at close range on my hike today
• I’m grateful for afternoon naps

You get the idea.

Now it’s your turn. Go out and get an empty notebook or journal and put it next to your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, think about things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Make sure you try to write at least two things every night.

In about three months time, despite what is happening in your life, I suspect you will notice a measurable difference in your sense of well-being.

Oh, and when you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table this coming Thursday and you’re asked what you are thankful for, you’ll be well prepared to answer!

I don’t know if it was the cold weather or what, but something pushed me to try the roasted duck curry instead.

Unexpectedly, there was a complexity of flavor that elevated the dish from simply good to sublime. I savored every mouthful, and washed it down with hot green tea. I must say it was one of the most memorable lunches in recent history.

I think that sometimes we all get a bit complacent as we journey from day to day. We stick with things that are comfortable and familiar, and rarely stray from what we know.

But what if we made a conscious decision to try something new once a week? Or even once a month?

I had a call from my 71-year-old mom the other day, who proudly told me that she had joined a gym for the first time. She then told me she had signed up for a spinning class! On the one hand, I was concerned that she might not know what she was getting into.On the other, I was in awe.

After the class, she called to tell me how tough it was, and that she didn’t know if she’d do it again, but in the next breath she said, “I signed up for a pilates class.” Wow.

I hope that when I’m 71 I still have the gumption to push myself outside my comfort zone and keep trying new things.

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter if the new thing is enjoyable or not. By simply choosing something unfamiliar, we can improve the richness of experience in our lives.

Who knows? We might just discover a new favorite dish. 

I tried to suggest that happiness may not be something one seeks, but he kept cutting me off with another story about how miserable he was.  In his mind, the only thing that would release him from his misery was finding a woman to love. 

At the end of our date, I politely thanked him and began to walk away. He came after me, and implored, “But don’t you want to be happy?!” I looked at him, smiled, and answered, “I am happy.” And he somehow took that as an offense, said something rude, and stormed away.

I was reminded of that strange experience yesterday, as I stumbled upon some quotes on the topic of “finding happiness” while looking for pithy quotes for a project.  I thought these two were worth sharing:

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.    ~Frederick Keonig

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.  ~ Helen Keller