Bonus: Happy Tunes

For those of you who GOOGLE, YOUTUBE, SPOTIFY, PANDORA, ETC.  

Here are a few inspiring happy tunes to add to your playlist. 

Sing, Dance, Enjoy!

(Lyric snippets included)

Everybody - Ingrid Michaelson
Happy is the heart that still feels pain
Darkness drains and light will come again
Swing open up your chest and let it in
Just let the love, love, love begin
Everybody, everybody wants to love
Everybody, everybody wants to be loved

The Sun Will Rise - Kelly Clarkson

I've been in stuck in a storm before

Felt the wind raging at my door

Couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't find a way out

Somehow my clouds disappeared

Somehow I made it here

Maybe just so you could hear me say

The sun will rise

The sun will rise (The sun will rise)

When you've lost your lights

The sun will rise

It'll be alright 

     Today Is Your Day - Shania Twain

Don't give up here, don't you quit

The moment is now, this is it

I know that you can then you will

Get to the top of the hill

Part of the fun is the climb

You just gotta make up your mind

Today is your day

And nothing can stand in your way

Today is your day

Everything's going your way

Good Life - One Republic
When you're happy like a fool 
Let it take you over 
When everything is out 
You gotta take it in 
Oh this has gotta be the good life 
This has gotta be the good life 
This could really be a good life, good life 

One Step at a Time- Cheryl Wheeler

I'm alright

I'll get by

Hold my own

Tell you why

Hard times come

Hard times go

We're still here

High or low

I'm gonna take one step at a time

Gonna keep walkin, walkin, walkin

Everything gonna be fine I know it will

 I have found that if you love life, 

life will love you back.

 Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-American classical pianist

Happy Decisions

Life decisions can be hard. 

Change can be hard.

Keep this simple diagram in mind and be happy!

Chapter 12: December-Reflections of Joy

December had a very simple Happiness goal. Spread Joy.  

When I decided that this would be a happiness goal for December I honestly thought it would be soooooo easy considering the holiday season throws the word joy around in advertisements, songs, even cards and wrapping paper sport the word in big flashy shiny holiday colors. It is much easier to tell if I am finding joy in my own life, but how do you ever really know if you have spread any of it?  Answer: I am not sure if you really can.  This is a strange joy conundrum that requires a bit of imagination and trust. My inspiration for this season of joy is not gift giving so much as it is this: " I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

As for me...December had TONS of joy in it! I reconnected with a long time friend, tried new restaurants, directed a huge choir tour and concert series, make a point to take better care and pamper my body, welcomed home a soldier safely from Afghanistan, traveled, visited my family, connected with friends, was spoiled for my birthday, played games, played in the snow, played with friends, danced, sang, poured out all the love I have with as much energy as I could. December was happy and exhausting!

My experience with music has taught me something very important about directing musicians and leading my life.  A great director must give  their ALL, holding nothing back, because the response will be only a dim reflection of everything  they can offer.  Pour out all the passion, pain, love, joy, intensity you possibly can in those wonderful moments and see what little ripples come of it.  So where am I going with this?  Did I buy gifts to celebrate the holiday? Yes.  Did I chat and catch up with family and friends? Yes. Did I spread joy? Who knows.  I gave it my ALL and held nothing back. I can hope that somewhere there is a dim reflection of my own joy and the happiness I have been learning to pursue throughout this year. 

I still have plenty to learn about cultivating my own happiness, but I am very proud to have spent a year on this personal project.  I will continue the journey in the years to come and look forward to new adventures! 

"She danced. She sang. She took. She gave, served and loved. She dissented, grew and enlivened.  She saw, sweated, changed and learned.  She laughed.  She shed her skin.  She bled on the pages of her days.  She lived with intention."  - Mary Anne Radmacher

MY YEAR OF HAPPINESS:

• January: Be Sarah- I am already enough.  Smile when you wake up.  Keep on top of health, work, living arrangements, chores, activities, exercise and be grateful.
• February: Make mistakes. Do you best.  Be Generous.
• March: Be present. Be Patient. Don’t settle for “I am here…” go for “Here I am!”
• April: Go somewhere new! Make some “I was here” footprints. Life is full of setbacks.  Success is determined by how you handle your setbacks.
• May: Be loving and love will come looking for you. Get creative with your life.
• June: Keep in touch with friends. Get outside!
• July: Be Fearless
• August: Explore; find Joy!
• September: Create something that wasn't there before.  Learn to like something new.
• October: GO BIG!
• November:  Expect good things, worry less, love more.
• December:  Spread Joy.

Chapter 11: November - Kisses and Hugs

The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.
Henry Ward Beecher


This month's HAPPINESS goal was, "Expect good things, worry less, love more." 

Expecting goodness might seem, at first, an entitled attitude, but I believe we are all entitled to happiness.  Even the US declaration of independence gives us the well known phrase, "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  I like to think that our expectation, and our hopefulness for good things is just a very simple form of pursuing our own happiness.  Good things for this month include:  Meeting not one, but two new friends, extraordinarily beautiful weather and extended outdoors time exercising, volunteering, seeing fun movies, good health, taking a trip to Florida and spending Thanksgiving among a wonderful family. I am so very grateful for all the many good things in my life.

Worry less. Easier said than done. I would say one of the greatest predators of happiness is worry.  We all fall into it.  It is such a waste of our most precious life currency---our time. Why spend time fretting over a problem that might not even come to be?  Three very basic ways to combat worry (especially during the busy holiday season) are:
 Focus on the short term rather than the long term - What is right here, right now that needs your attention?
Instead of worrying, prepare - Take time to plan ahead so that fears and "bumps in the road" won't derail you.
Acceptance is the ticket - Got a problem? Try accepting the situation and move forward to dealing with the aftermath.  This super simple shift in thinking is the difference between hazardous-to-your health worry and constructive-conscious problem solving.

Last,BUT NOT LEAST happiness goal for November was to LOVE MORE.  I remember as a little girl, saying goodbye to my grandfather and he asked me, "Do you have one more kiss and a squeeze (hug) for your Grandpa?" I remember thinking what an interesting question that was.  Do we ever run out of kisses?  Could it be that someday I wouldn't have enough hugs to give them out anymore?  I played along replying that I was all out of kisses and hugs, but when it came time to get in the car I ran back to him and shared all the hugs and kisses I had with me.  People who have even a modicum of happiness don't run out of love.  It doesn't dry up- go extinct - or get empty. Cultivating happiness in your personal life has plenty of wonderful side effects, but one of the best ones I have discovered is that you have an unending supply of love to offer the world.  Love your family, friends, home, lifestyle, love your morning cup of tea or how good it feels to get into a cozy bed at the end of a long day. There is plenty to love, so go ahead and try it with me. Love more. You won't run out. 

Next month completes a year of this happiness journey I have set out on. 
The goal for next month is simple: spread joy.  I can't wait! 


All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain, but it’s truer to say that complaining leads to people becoming unhappy. -Dennis Prager

I wish you happiness!

Remember these are not just mini-month long experiments, but things that I will continue to carry throughout the year.  Next month I’ll continue to add to my growing list of ideas for how to live a happier life.  Feel free to try them out with me! 

• January: Be Sarah- I am already enough.  Smile when you wake up.  Keep on top of health, work, living arrangements, chores, activities, exercise and be grateful.
• February: Make mistakes. Do you best.  Be Generous.
• March: Be present. Be Patient. Don’t settle for “I am here…” go for “Here I am!”
• April: Go somewhere new! Make some “I was here” footprints. Life is full of setbacks.  Success is determined by how you handle your setbacks.
• May: Be loving and love will come looking for you. Get creative with your life.
• June: Keep in touch with friends. Get outside!
• July: Be Fearless
• August: Explore; find Joy!
• September: Create something that wasn't there before.  Learn to like something new.
• October: GO BIG!
• November:  Expect good things, worry less, love more.
• December:  Spread Joy.

Chapter 10: October's Big, Big Life

Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end. -Pico Iyer

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. -Winston Churchill


LOOK OUT!  October proved to be bigger than big...it was HUGE!
It started with a trip to the BIG Apple!  I have never been to New York, but have always dreamed of seeing the lights and theater and wondrous things I'd heard about the city that never sleeps.  It didn't disappoint.

Central Park

American Museum of Natural History

Lady Liberty

Riding the MTA

TA DAH!

Time Square

Broadway!

New York CHEESECAKE!

 I also had the pleasure of entertaining my first house guests! They flew in from Oregon on their way to even greater adventure on the east coast and it was WONDERFUL to share and discover great local things with them both!

Happy Times

Martini Time

Historic Collinsville

Last, but not least, I went camping during that ONE perfect fall weekend where there leaves are at their peak and the weather is sunny and crisp!  It was a beautiful trip and it gave me a chance to see even more of this lovely state as I drove east!  What a beautiful drive as well as fall hikes and bike rides!  

Snuggling in the hammock with Pearl

Campfire cooking

Beautiful FALL hiking!

I've heard it said, though I can't find who to credit, THE KEY TO HAPPINESS IS EXCITEMENT FOR THE FUTURE. Are you excited about your future?  I am.  There are so many reasons to be hopeful and full of anticipation for what may lay ahead of us.  If you find yourself this month stuck in a lull or getting bogged down with the drudgery of everyday happenings, plan something BIG. (Ok. .Even little things can give you something to look forward to.)  Give yourself a reason to be excited for your future.


All successful people, men and women, are big dreamers.  They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose. - Brian Tracy

Next Month's Goal: Expect good things, worry less, love more.

Remember these are not just mini-month long experiments, but things that I will continue to carry throughout the year.  Next month I’ll continue to add to my growing list of ideas for how to live a happier life.  Feel free to try them out with me! 

• January: Be Sarah- I am already enough.  Smile when you wake up.  Keep on top of health, work, living arrangements, chores, activities, exercise and be grateful.
• February: Make mistakes. Do you best.  Be Generous.
• March: Be present. Be Patient. Don’t settle for “I am here…” go for “Here I am!”
• April: Go somewhere new! Make some “I was here” footprints. Life is full of setbacks.  Success is determined by how you handle your setbacks.
• May: Be loving and love will come looking for you. Get creative with your life.
• June: Keep in touch with friends. Get outside!
• July: Be Fearless
• August: Explore; find Joy!
• September: Create something that wasn't there before.  Learn to like something new.
• October: GO BIG!
• November:  Expect good things, worry less, love more.

Chapter 9: September - Better Late than Never

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It is better to create than to learn!  Creating is the essence of life. - Julius Caesar

Success is getting what you want.  Happiness is liking what you get. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

September - My Happiness goals for this month were to create something that wasn't there before and to learn to like something new.
      How I've missed the opening of the "school season." The sharpening of pencils, posting of bulletin boards, fresh little faces, and lesson plan preparations.  I had an entire school year off to rest, recharge and re-start my life and something about this month clicked me into place. I felt like I knew all the steps and my feet happily obliged in the starting of this school year dance. One of the things my school has never had before is a choir!  I got to work advertizing, explaining, sending out permission slips and schedules, choosing music and preparing for this extra extra-curricular adventure to begin this month and was blown away with the response of over a hundred students signed up!  Our first rehearsals have been full of excitement and fun and I am very much looking forward to our performances in December!  
I have met a slew of new people, made some new friends this month and have also been more diligent about creating an exercise routine.  My adventure dog, Pearl, and I go for a morning bike ride at sunrise and then again in the evening. In total it is usually under five miles, but my body enjoys the challenge and the benefits of exercise seep into my attitude and outlook enormously. 
      I think everyone can benefit from creating something new - Make a card and send it to a friend, or better yet,  make a new friend, pot a happy plant inside or outside and enjoy its season, create a special time just for yourself, start a get together tradition or a game night. It doesn't have to be a huge undertaking or directing an elementary school choir for it to bring you great joy in the process of creating something new!
      My second goal was to learn to like something new.  I tried new kinds of wine at a Jazz on the Lawn festival and listened to new styles of music.  I went to community festivals, riverfests and farmers markets this month.  I met with all the new teachers at my school for a fun BBQ and established a new doctor in my local area.  I met with a new friend at a new restaurant and even had a chance to try catfish for the first time with a group of old and new friends.  I redeemed a gift certificate for an entire day at the dayspa and my body was so happy afterward!  Pushing the known boundaries of our lives and making room for things that are new and unknown is such a healthy way to move forward through life.  I hope that you will find something new to enjoy in the months ahead too!

Next month:  October- Go BIG. 

Remember these are not just mini-month long experiments, but things that I will continue to carry throughout the year.  Next month I’ll continue to add to my growing list of ideas for how to live a happier life.  Feel free to try them out with me! 

• January: Be Sarah- I am already enough.  Smile when you wake up.  Keep on top of health, work, living arrangements, chores, activities, exercise and be grateful.
• February: Make mistakes. Do you best.  Be Generous.
• March: Be present. Be Patient. Don’t settle for “I am here…” go for “Here I am!”
• April: Go somewhere new! Make some “I was here” footprints. Life is full of setbacks.  Success is determined by how you handle your setbacks.
• May: Be loving and love will come looking for you. Get creative with your life.
• June: Keep in touch with friends. Get outside!
• July: Be Fearless
• August: Explore; find Joy!
• September: Create something that wasn't there before.  Learn to like something new.
• October: GO BIG!

Chapter 8: Sarah the Explorer

A ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are built for.

Gael Attal

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

If at some point you don't ask yourself, 'What have I gotten myself into?' then you're not doing it right.

Roland Gau

When I'm old I'm never going to say "I didn't do this" or "I regret that." I'm going to say,  

"I don't regret a damn thing. I came, I went, and I did it all." 

Kim Basinger

OH! How I love to travel and explore!  My goal for August was to explore and find joy!  What a fun and incredible month it has been!  One of the best parts about moving to a new town is the opportunity to go explore all the things that are new!

Clarksville City Hall 

Beauty Barn Downtown!  Shabby Chic. Haha!

Roxy Live Theater 

Blackhorse Brewery. Yummy!

My very own Steakhouse!

A large local Amish population! Who knew?

I loved trying new things, meeting new people and collecting new memories!  August was full of fun events. I enjoyed wandering through the local farmer's market, meeting some new Italian neighbors, trying out new restaurants and churches.

Shooting sticks in the creek

Cloud 9 - New Restaurant!

Vanderbilt VS South Carolina FOOTBALL!

Jazz on the Lawn at Beachaven Winery

Pedal Tavern Nashville!

I am officially feeling settled into my new home and am happy and proud of the space I live in.  I found great joy in creating a cozy space and the creativity it required.  I would love for visitors to come explore with me, but if it is not in your budget consider this blog entry a mini-exploration, just for you, of my new home town. 

Next Month's Goals: Create something that wasn't there before. Learn to like something new.

Front porch cozy space

Happy Orchid decorating!

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been.

Diane Arbus

Remember these are not just mini-month long experiments, but things that I will continue to carry throughout the year.  Next month I’ll continue to add to my growing list of ideas for how to live a happier life.  Feel free to try them out with me! 

January: Be Sarah- I am already enough.  Smile when you wake up.  Keep on top of health, work, living arrangements, chores, activities, exercise and be grateful.
February: Make mistakes. Do you best.  Be Generous.
March: Be present. Be Patient. Don’t settle for “I am here…” go for “Here I am!”
April: Go somewhere new! Make some “I was here” footprints. Life is full of setbacks.  Success is determined by how you handle your setbacks.
May: Be loving and love will come looking for you. Get creative with your life.
June: Keep in touch with friends. Get outside!

July: Be Fearless

August: Explore; find Joy!

September: Create something that wasn't there before.  Learn to like something new.