I’m so happy to welcome Michelle from Rockin Random Mom to The Happiness Series this week! Michelle has been a great blogging buddy of mine for a long time! She writes about parenting, autism, music, quotes & lots of other topics. Michelle answered The Happiness Series interview questions. Here is Rockin Random Mom on happiness…
1. Name three things in life that make you happy. And, please tell us a little about each one.
Music, coffee, and my kids not necessarily in that order. Haha! Music has always played a major role in my life from being my escape when things got really bad as a child, to being my inspiration behind many of my fictional writings. Coffee is my comfort food. It is the one thing that warms me on cold winter nights and wakes me up when I don’t really want to get out bed. My kids are my absolute pleasure in life. They are my angels, my heroes, and my inspiration!
2. What’s something you do to find your happiness when you’ve lost it?
I listen to happy/inspirational music. I also do Tai chi or go hiking. Music and nature are two things that definitely help me find my happiness.
3. What cheers you up after a long, difficult day?
A tall glass of wine and The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon always cheers me up!
4. Does your job make you happy? If you are a SAH parent, does that make you happy?
Honestly, I hate working. I don’t currently have a job right now but my last job was so stressful that it was causing some serious problems for me. I believe that work is the bane of human existence. We are taught that if we don’t work and contribute to society through work then we aren’t worth much. I strongly disagree! We are meant to learn, grow, and evolve both as individuals and as a species. Anything that we do in our lives should cater to that and if it doesn’t – if what you do for a living isn’t making you a better person and making you happy – it is not worth your time. That is where I’m at right now with the whole career thing. Being home when my kids after school and being able to be there for them, however, makes me very happy!
5. Share a happy memory with us.
I have many happy memories. I’m not sure if I can pick just one but I’ll try… Summer camp when I was 11 years old. I learned a lot that summer. Horseback riding, polar bear swimming, and archery, and oh yeah, I participated in a traditional Native American dance around the fire on the last night there. So much fun. I aced the archery tournament, learned how to swim in ice cold water (that’s what polar bear swimming means), got to finally get up close and personal with some amazing horses, and got to dress up like and Indian squaw and learned some chants. It was awesome!
6. Do you think money can bring happiness?
No, I definitely do not. It’s the reason I don’t play the lottery because I wholeheartedly do not believe that money equals happiness. Yes, we all want to have money so that we can pay our bills, buy plenty of food, and still have some left over for small luxuries in life but that doesn’t require mass amounts of wealth and it definitely doesn’t bring on the happy.
7. Is your happiness influenced by the things you do or the way you think?
Yes! These past few weeks my kids and I have been sick. While stuck in bed for almost the whole time I started thinking very negatively. Yesterday I finally felt well enough to do some Tai chi. I can’t do any strenuous activity yet because my chest is still congested but just doing the Tai chi for 30 minutes really boosted my mood and I felt like I could take on the world. It literally gave me a much better outlook on life than I had before I started the workout.
8. Which would make you the happiest – a sun holiday, new car or a new job opportunity?
Right now it would be a new car because my car broke and that has seriously hindered looking for a job or doing any of the other things I normally do. I have to depend on someone else to lend me their car and that takes away my independence, which doesn’t sit well with me as I am a very independent person.
9. Which wine makes you happier – red or white?
Um, white. It really depends on my mood but I usually prefer white.
10. Share a quote that makes you smile.
This comes from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (my favorite superhero), “Seize the moment cuz’ tomorrow you might be dead.” It’s direct and to the point and always makes me laugh the way she says it.
Michelle aka RockinRandomMom is a happily single mom raising two kids, one with Autism. She writes about music, disabilities, mental illness, and other random topics that pop into her complicated and coffee addicted head. Find Michelle on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.
If you would like to take part in the Happiness Series by contributing a happiness post or by answering the happiness interview questions, I’d love to have you! Find out more details on The Happiness Series Page.
