By Shannon Magsam
At our house, we talk about “Roses and Thorns” after school or at dinner. I believe it was Michelle Obama who said that’s what they call the ritual at their house and I thought it was the perfect mental picture.
Happy things = roses.
Not-so-happy-things = thorns.
Before we started roses, I would always ask Ladybug: What was the best part of your day? What was the worst?
A friend told me the other day they do Sweet and Sour at their house.
Although we talk about the thorns of the day (I don’t want a Merry Sunshine clone who feels like she always has to have a smile on her face) I really like to focus on the roses — the sweet. It’s a good way to recall all the good things that you’ve been blessed with throughout the day. Along those lines, I was reading The Happiness Project blog the other day and there was a link to another website: ThankfulFor. On Thankful For, you create personal gratitude journals and can also share public thanks.
I agree with the purpose of the site, which is to remind people of what they’re thankful for — which makes them happier people. As the home page says, “Research shows that saying ‘thank you’ for the good stuff in life makes for a happier, healthier you.”
Speaking of happy, the video below made me smile. I found it courtesy of a Dooce link. It’s really awesome and I think you’ll like it, too:
Magic- A Belly Grows from The Panic Room Videos on Vimeo.
