Adventures in the bookstore.

Wow, January? Seriously? Ok, I can work with that.

I want to tell you all about the past several weeks, how everything has been so busy and out of control. But, that tends me send me into a not so happy place, so let's not talk about all that right now. Instead I want to talk about books. Yes, those crisp, aromatic pages that send me into a place of ultimate comfort. Too much?

The book I want to talk about is called the Happiness Project. Heard of it? I found it on a self-help table in my local bookstore. The cover intrigued me, as did the title. So, I picked it up and read the back cover. You know, after I had stared at the front for a little while, but that's not the point here. The book chronicles the author's quest to be happier and find her ultimate sources of happiness. Sounds helpful, right? As I stood there staring at the book, I tried to be honest with myself. I could certainly use a little help in learning to be happier. I mean, things have been a little rough lately. What did I do next? I bought the book, of course.

While I was in the bookstore, I did venture over to the self-help section. I started to peruse the various titles, some of which were quite amusing. However, what I was looking was a book on mindfulness. Essentially, you learn how you process your thoughts, find your inner balance, and be mindful of the way that you view the rest of the world. Sounds a little hippie, doesn't it? I know. But I know someone who has been working through the process and she feels like it actually works. Learning to process my thoughts differently could be good. It's something that I struggle with on a daily basis now. But it's kind of funny, while I was in the self-help section, I thought for sure that I would feel self-conscious of myself. For instance, people would stare and wonder why I needed self-help or if there was something wrong with me. Those are the kinds of thoughts that are irrational and only inflict pain on me. Or so they tell you in learning to be mindful. So I plan to give it a shot. I don't really have anything to lose. If it works, I plan to share it. Maybe it will help others who are on their own journey to being happier in life. Who knows? The future is uncertain.

And with that I'm going to go enjoy some piping hot pancakes with some of my favorite people. We decided that going to iHop this morning would be fun. In fact, I think I dreamt about it last night. It has been so long since I've been there! I promise that there was no drool though. Scout's honor.