#100happydays: Days 1-10

#100happydays began as an Instagram exercise in gratitude. I consider myself a pretty happy woman, but am guilty of getting caught up in the annoying realities of daily life – my kids are fighting, my house is a mess, my job is stressful, etc. And, if motherhood has taught me anything, it’s that gratitude, like patience, must be practiced daily. I welcomed the challenge to take a moment to be purposefully thankful for the many happy moments that make up my days.

Because this is an Instagram project, my challenge each day is to not just think of something, someone, some lofty quote, that makes me happy, but to think of something I can photograph. I can have a moment of thankfulness for a great phone conversation with my mom, but it doesn’t make a compelling Instagram photo. Likewise, I use very few words to describe these images. As I suspected in compiling them for this round-up, the image alone is enough to bring a smile to my face.

Day 1: Final baseball game for the 2014 season. (For a better understanding of why the final game is the one that kicked off 100happydays, please read my post about Teaching Failure.)

Day 2: Night Swim at the Berwyn Rec Pool. Uncrowded and awesome.

Day 3. Golden beets from our garden, roasted in the oven. Simple salt and pepper. Thanks to my husband, the gardener.

Day 4: Our latest library haul. Books make me happy.

Day 5: Backyard baseball. No fees, technology or travel. Just brothers in the sun.

Day 6: Connor’s love for horses always makes me smile. Stopped for a visit at Brookfield Zoo, Summer Nights.

 

Day 7: Sunday morning bike ride with my husband.

Day 8: Bringing my boys to work this week for Discovery Camp at Naz.

Day 9: Fun plans for these items! Girls Night Out.

 

 

 

 

Day 10: Making new friends while building a solar oven. #discoverycamp

 

How about you? How do you practice gratitude?

All the images in this post are my own. Please don’t use them as yours.