On My Way to #100 Happy Days....

#Happyday 41

Upon the suggestion of my younger daughter and blog guru as well, I joined the #100happydays challenge on Facebook. At first I was reluctant to join, I feared that I couldn't come up with a picture or an incident that make me happy everyday. "Everyday?",  I thought, "that's a tall order".  But then I just can't refuse the challenge; it's one of the few traits that runs quite strong in me, so in spite my ambivalence "I plunged both feet into the water", all at once. 

The first week wasn't bad at all because it coincided with our trip to Singapore, so no problem, in fact there were many occasions that I could have used.  But when I got back home to normal activities I must admit that I seemed pressured to look for something interesting daily. I had to go into the deepest recesses of my mind to come up with something to post.  You see the #100happydays challenge is for 100 days, "how in heaven's name can I sustain that?"

But then I realized soon enough that it should not be the case, it should not be hard, it should be easy. It could come in a flitting moment that has to be captured right away so I should be alert. Awareness is the key. 

Looking out for something that make me happy, I learned, involves developing the art of paying attention.  If you do just that, you won't be wasting time as this talent is just as useful at a conference table as it is in finding more about your dinner date.  I became more conscious, more open, ready and willing to notice something or just anything. Today and everyday onwards, I look forward with happy anticipation with both eyes and ears open, ready to embrace what the day will hand me. 

Today is my 41st happy day and so far I'm afloat. I wouldn't say "I swam with difficulty", in fact I enjoyed it; a lot. I am happy with myself that I am celebrating it with my favorite corn soup.  "Celebrating?  You're not even half done? It's a long way to the home stretch my friend?", you would say.  

"And celebrating with soup? How odd?"  

But I'd say, "sorry to disappoint you all, for you won't hear Dom Perignon cork popping nor will I open a bottle of red.  My husband doesn't drink, not a drop in eight years, and I don't want to celebrate alone, so ...just soup".

Here are the ingredients: grated fresh corn from a cob, sautéed in shrimps, with carrots and frozen green peas, red and green bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini garnished with chopped spring onions and Celantro leaves. To thicken the soup, I was consistent by putting corn meal instead of corn starch. 

Wait!!!! You know what made me the happiest today? It's my reward, my indulgence for staying in this challenge so far.  After midnight today, I opened this:

A box of hand-crafted cream-filled chocolates: an assortment of strawberry cream, chocolate truffle,coconut cream, maple butter, raspberry cream, lemon cream, and orange cream.  

As I looked at the box's inner cover to choose one, it brought a smile as I recalled a game my younger daughter used to play with my daughter-in-law who brings home boxes of chocolate similar to this when she travels to the US.  In her blog, my daughter explained that they don't look at the box cover, they just pick one and must eat it, whether the filling is to their liking or not, just like playing Russian roulette. At the time of her writing, she said that in the box they opened the coconut cream (I guess it's the one they don't like much) is "still at large".  

Can I sustain the 100 days? I am very optimistic. 

Note: all images are from the 100happydays.com with the exemption of box of chocolates, my picture for day 41.