“US-81 South to Roanoke” (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #150 – Summer Fun: Invite someone along!

Greetings, All — and Happy Friday!

We are counting down the Fridays between now and Labor Day Weekend with some short “Summer Fun” suggestions.  Because —  and I’ll say it each week — while many adults have been busy planning their kids’ summer fun, they often overlook their own!

And as we run up on the end of July — I want to make sure YOU have fun this summer, too!

Last week I talked about sharing old memories — but this week I was reminded of the power of invitation to create NEW memories!

As a kid, we didn’t travel much.  There were many reasons for this — but I imagine a lot of it had to do with being a modest single-earner household with four children.  It simply wasn’t in the budget.

What we did do — were day trips.  My father had a tricky way of handling these — as they were rarely announced in advance.  If the weather was nice, and the conditions were right, he’d wake us up with the news that were going to the shore, or to Great Adventure, or to wherever we were headed that day.

And usually, because those old station wagons seated seven, one of us (usually the oldest) got to bring a friend along!

We never went to Disney, or on a cruise, and certainly never to the airport (unless it was for an airshow) — but man those day trips were good times!

And not just for us — but for the neighbor friends who got to come along!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Invite someone along!  Whatever “Summer Fun” you are planning for the week or month ahead — invite someone along!  A friend, a neighbor, a neighbor’s kid, or coworker — extend an invite to someone to join you on an outing.  One of my favorite tag-a-longs was driving with my best friend and her mom to drop her off at college.  It was a great experience for me — and it gave her mom some much needed company on the long ride home!

Who can you invite along this week?

Spread Happyness — share your thoughts in the comments!!!

7/28/17 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

“Childhood Studies”  Photo credit: Andia Wecht (used with permission)

Week #149 – Summer Fun: Make Memories (and share them, too!)

Greetings — and Happy Friday!

I interrupt your Summer Fun to remind you that while you are busy making memories this summer — don’t hesitate to stop and share them!

This week, as I was at my desk reflecting on my recent visit back home — or maybe planning the next one, an image popped up on my Facebook feed.

It was my brother’s face…smiling back at me from over 25 years ago!

A moment captured.  Packed in a box.  Moved how many times.  Resurfaced.  And then posted by a classmate…at this…exact…moment.

I wrote last year, right about this time, of the importance of sharing memories.  There was a lot of nostalgia going around then.  Maybe it was late summer, maybe the recent loss of yet another childhood friend, maybe just parents cleaning out their attics and basements…

…or maybe, I wrote, it simply just feels good to remember good times and good friends.

The classmate who found the picture above shared her thought process with me: she was looking through old family photos and flipped past this one.  Within a few seconds, she went back.  It occurred to her that of all the photos my family had of Rob — we hadn’t seen THIS one.  And that maybe we would like to have it.  So she shared it.

And we are so glad she did!

Because — while it did catch me by surprise and remind me just how much we ALL miss him — it breathed new life into the collective memory that keeps him very much “alive” to us each and every day.

I, myself, have stumbled across and shared old photos.  And it has occurred to me that maybe I should NOT share them.  What if it hurt the person receiving them?  What if it was a bad time?  What if they weren’t thinking of that person right then and there?

And then I remember…you’re ALWAYS thinking of that person.

As I wrote last year, the only thing more wonderful than remembering Rob on my own…is having someone remember him to me!

Happyness…Spread!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Make Memories (and share them too!)  While we continue to make new memories as we count down our Summer Fun Fridays until Labor Day — remember to share the old ones, too!  If you are thinking of someone, let them know.  Summer is a great time for reminiscing!

It’s okay to walk down memory lane once in awhile…there are beautiful people there!

[Special thanks to Andia Wecht for sharing the photo, telling me her story, and granting permission to use both in this post!]

Spread Happyness — share your thoughts, and your favorite memories, in the comments!

7/21/17 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

My Co-Pilot! (Photo Credit: Grace Church)

Week #148 – Summer Fun List: Take a drive!

Greetings, All — and Happy Friday!

We are counting down the Fridays between now and Labor Day Weekend with some short “Summer Fun” suggestions.  Because I’ll say it again — while many adults are busy planning their kids’ summer fun, they often overlook their own!

And I want to make sure YOU have fun this summer, too!

I’m just back from a week at the Jersey Shore and still playing catch up.  Last week, I talked about taking a seat.  This week, I’m revisiting the idea of taking a drive.  Specifically, something called “one tank trips.”

Summer is now in full swing — and what better way to satisfy your wanderlust than by jumping in the car and taking a nice long ride?!

But where?

Before you beat the usual path…get out an old fashioned map (or print one off the web) and draw a couple of circles around your town: a 50-mile radius, a 100-mile radius, and a 150-mile radius.

One Tank Trips are designed to work with your gas tank.  The average car can drive about 300 miles on one fill up — 150 miles out, 150 miles back.  That could mean 3.0 hours worth of driving though…and an overnight stay.  That’s why I recommend a 50-mile (under 1 hour) and 100-mile (under 2 hours) radius, as well.

• 150 miles: These destinations are likely to require a little planning, some advanced preparations, and possibly an overnight stay.  Don’t just look to the beach or the lakes…look for parks for camping, mountains for climbing, historic towns for exploring, or amusement parks for a full day of fun.  From the Jersey Shore, this covers a radius from West Point, NY to Lancaster, PA to Rehoboth Beach, DE and almost all of Long Island!  Where I am now in LA, this covers everything from the vineyards of Paso Robles to the streets of Tijuana — and out to Joshua Tree State Park!
• 100 miles:  These are your day trips.  Think of concerts, antiquing, hiking, swimming, museums, aquariums, and exploring.  From the Jersey Shore this includes Coney Island and Jones Beach to the East, Sleepy Hollow and the quaint little towns along the Hudson River to the North, Bethlehem and the Delaware Water Gap to the West, and Cape May and Atlantic City to the South!  Here in LA it means Santa Barbara, Orange County, or even Disneyland!
• 50 miles: These trips are less than one hour away.  Have lunch or dinner at a special place, plan an activity, organize a play date or reunion, attend a fair, pamper yourself, or spend some time on the porch with a friend!

Finally — and these are the fun ones — look in your own backyard!  Play tourist in your own town.  If a friend visited you — where would you absolutely have to take them?!  Where I live now — this definitely means a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, a hike in the mountains, a visit to a studio, and a walk down Sunset Boulevard.  Back home, it would be a tour of my little Victorian town, and a romp through historic Asbury Park, or a drive around our beautiful lake — and definitely a stop at Cliff’s for ice cream!!!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Take a drive!  Gas up, stock some snacks, open your windows, and let your hair FLY!  (But wherever you go…please stay off your phone!)  Enjoy the scenery, talk with your travel companions, open the windows and breathe the air of a different place or town.  Listen to music, a podcast…or drive in silence.  Get out, explore, stretch your legs, meet some new people! — and let the good times roll!

Where would you go on a full tank of gas?

Spread Happyness — share your One Tank Trip ideas in the comments!!!

7/14/17 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

“Take a seat!” (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #147 – Summer Fun: Take a seat!

Greetings, All — and Happy Friday!

We are counting down the Fridays between now and Labor Day Weekend with some short “Summer Fun” suggestions.  Because — as I’ve said before — while many adults are busy planning their kids’ summer fun, they often overlook their own!

And I want to make sure YOU have fun this summer, too!

This week, I’m headed home to the Jersey Shore!  And while last week I was reminded of how nice it is to get out and walk — this week, I’m looking forward to a good long sit on the porch!

As I wrote last year following my trip, there is something magical about sitting on a porch.  Something that automatically slows you down and shifts your gaze a little further beyond where you’ve been looking.  Something that opens you up and encourages you to share, to be honest, to be vulnerable.

Something that helps us connect — and maybe make a difference — to the person sitting next to us.

So if you’re in Ocean Grove, you know where to find me!  Come on up, grab a rocker, and take a seat!

At the very least…give us a honk and a big wave as you drive by!  🙂

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Take a seat!  Whether you have a porch, deck, patio, balcony, or tailgate — pull up a chair, take a load off, sit a spell, have a chat, visit a bit, or rock a while!  Watch the traffic, cars park, people pass by, critters hard at work, nature doing her thing, or just observe the world moving about while you sit still.  Invite someone to join you.  Share a glass of something cold, have a conversation, meet a neighbor, visit with friends, or get to know just a little bit more about your own family.

The world is moving fast…make porch time a priority this week!

Spread Happyness — and share your favorite place to sit!

7/7/17 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com