“a table, a chair, a bowl of fruit, and a violin. what else does a man need to be happy?”

~albert einstein

last week i received a text asking me how i’m “dealing with all your {my} sadness.”

huh?

for a bit i was sure the sender had mis-sent his message.

sadness? not me. not here. not in these new peach & blue tennies.

sure there are less than let’s be braggy circumstances in my life; but don’t we all have bad-hair days best kept covered under a baseball cap?

 things and events, blissful or depressing, are not who i am, what i believe in, or how i treat others.

i can’t change the people or circumstances around me, but i can change how i respond to them.

and lately i my response has been “happiness.”

when i really open my eyes, happiness seeps in like the sweet, home-made cookie aroma from our local bakery; inebriating and undeniable, my smile and gratitude can’t be suppressed.

it’s the little things; the wee, sometimes superficial, but nonetheless mirth-producing facts in my life that keep me in a coffee cup runneth over state.

here’s a look at where i’ve found happiness this week:

happiness is a manicure and pedicure.

my last visit to the nail salon occurred in 2012, so my fingers and toes were third-world country neglected.

happy be me when the producers of my last shoot offered, suggested, “forced” me to get my nails done on their bill; double win.

my go-to polish is always “naked state of mind” by mary jo matsumoto….it’s the perfect beige/pink combo bite, and it lasts forever.

stay tuned for more mary jo matsumoto praise. her new fall bags are out, and they’re a must buy!

my hands were a little trickier. i succumbed to the gel OPI manicure because inadvertently, even if i’m put under anesthesia and covered with cement in the spa chair, i will find a way to smudge my hands.

these OPI gels have stayed shiny and chip free now going on two weeks.

happiness is having breakfast food for dinner.

like i wrote last week, i can’t stand eating breakfast…but that doesn’t mean i detest breakfast food {the good, unhealthy kind, that is.}

last sunday night my mom prepared a breakfast feast at six o’clock at night; buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon & sausage.

she even made “veggie” style sausages {ugh, don’t look at the ingredients} for me so i could complete the requisite dunking of my links in syrup…

happiness is a home cooked meal.

sometimes you just can’t beat beasts under foot, pajama bottoms and messy hair in a bun at the dinner table.

and last but not least:

you.

you are happiness, my sweetheart readers.

what is currently tickling your happy button?