“Hey, you…look around!”  (photo credit: Grace Church)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

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

But this week, I want you to stop all that fun for just a red-hot second…and watch the grass (or weeds) grow!

Back home in New Jersey…Queen Anne’s Lace is everywhere this time of year.  It’s a flirty little weed that always got my attention in late July — and seemed to yell at me:

“Hey you…look around! It’s almost August!”

There is a wonderful stillness this time of year as summer reaches its peak.  Gardens are bursting, trees are at their fullest, the grass is at its longest…but harvest season isn’t quite here yet.  There seems to be nothing left to do except sit back and watch it all grow.

Of course, with our modern schedules and technology there is always plenty to do: work continues, activities go on, there are vacations to take, and places to visit, and back-to-school shopping to do…

…but nature knows better.

Take a cue from your garden or lawn, flower bed or park!  Make like a tree…and be still!  😉

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Watch the grass (or weeds) grow!  As we move through these last few days of July into the first week of August…kick back with your favorite beverage (and maybe your favorite person or pet) and watch the grass grow!  It may be uncomfortable to sit still and do (gasp!) nothing for a few minutes.  Do it anyway!  Try it.  Take five or fifteen minutes once a day (or once a week) to sit in the same spot and notice what is happening around you.  I know the clock is ticking…but our world keeps its very own perfect time.

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” (Henry David Thoreau)

Spread Happyness — where do you like to stop and watch the weeds grow?

7/27/18 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #201 – Summer Fun Challenge: Don’t forget to water your mail carrier! (And other service professionals, too!)

Greetings Tribe — and Happy Friday!

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

But this week, I want you to look no further than your very own mailbox!

Because the high summer heat (coupled with a water main break at my apartment complex, which has complete shut the water off for four days straight now) has me thinking about our most precious resource…and my post from Week #95:

During a hot summer just two years ago, a classmate of Rob’s who works for the post office put this suggestion on Facebook: “If you feel like doing something nice today, leave a bottle of cold water for your mailman/lady🌞”.

(Thanks, Ralph!)

I thought that was a pretty cool idea — and a super easy way to Spread Happyness!

And then I got to thinking — what are some other “cool” gestures that could Spread a little Happyness to the casual connections in our lives?

The winter holidays are a natural time to leave a little something for your mail carrier, doorman, landscaper, bank teller, stylist, or garbage/recycling service.

But what about the rest of the year?  Especially during the height of summer when it’s hot, stinky, overcrowded — or maybe even a little slow?

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Help someone else stay cool!  Leave some cold water for your mail carrier.  Provide an umbrella or pop-up tent for someone working in your yard.  Bring some good old fashioned ice cream sandwiches or novelties to your bank, stylist, mechanic, or coworkers.  Offer to make that 4 o’clock frappucino run!

And if you need more ideas — I polled a few friends a got some additional suggestions:

• Carry $5 Starbucks cards to give to someone who goes above and beyond. (Thanks, Scott!)
• Give free cupcake/yogurt/ice cream cards to someone who needs a pick-me-up. (Thanks, Heather!)
• Scroll through Stephanie Jones’ daily #givingchallenges on Instagram or Facebook! (Thanks, Stephanie!)

What other ways can we help someone else stay cool this week?

Spread Happyness — share your ideas in the comments!

7/20/18 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

Week #200 – Summer Fun List: Sit a spell!

Greetings Happyness Tribe — and Happy Friday!

I just returned to Los Angeles from a whirlwind weekend at the Jersey Shore!  It was another fast and busy trip centered around a yearly concert in Ocean Grove’s Great Auditorium — which happened to fall on one of the single busiest weeks of the summer.  

Between singing in the concert and visiting with family — there wasn’t much time to schedule other activities, visits, or downtime.

Which made porch-hopping so precious!!!

Porch-hopping is a special kind of visiting…no planning, no deadlines, no expectations.  You simply make yourself available and see who passes by!  It’s not a date for an entire day or evening…it’s grab-and-go.  Take what you can.  Just a few precious moments of eternal NOW.

And you learn to make it count!

For “the town where time stands still” — summers move pretty fast in Ocean Grove!  After two years in Southern California, where there’s always another beautiful day, I could feel the frenzy.  Running here, running there, trying to “get it all in.”

The only way to still time, it seemed…was to be still myself.

If you feel like your summer is flying by, going too fast, or slipping through your fingers…don’t panic.  Power down!  Make yourself available.  Sit down…and rock a while!

Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Sit a spell!  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 pass, cars park, people walk 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 very own family.

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

Spread Happyness — tell me, what’s your favorite place for a nice long sit?

7/13/18 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com

“Walked these boards and rode the waves.”  (photo credit: Grace Church)

Week #199 – Summer Fun List: “Walk the Boards and Ride the Waves!!!”

Greetings Happyness Tribe!!!

I’m headed back to Ocean Grove this week!  Holy Ground, God’s Square Mile, and Heaven on Earth!!!

And all I can think about is this…from Week #43.  So forgive the (modified) repost this week…I am busy “walking the boards and riding the waves!”  (I know you understand!)

Just three short years ago now…a new memorial planter quietly appeared on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove.  The planter’s inscription reads:

Robert Church, Jr.  1974-2014
Walked these boards and rode the waves.
Loved and Remembered Always

Since Rob disappeared from our boardwalk in 2014 — I still, even today, look to see his 6-foot-something frame, his big wave, and his confident stride.  And with every turn onto Ocean Ave. — I am reminded, once again, of his absence in this beautiful place.  A place we shared as a family since childhood — and continued to share into our adulthood.

A place we somehow, even now, continue to share today.  ♥

Through all the years we visited Ocean Grove — as children, teens, adults, and friends — we never dreamed it would come to this.  Benches and planters were for old people, maybe even pets, but not for us.  We were young, vital, alive.

And THAT is the point of the plaques on those benches and planters.  Life is about what you do, where you do it, and who you do it with.  The planters and benches along the boardwalk are filled with legacies: “…who loved Ocean Grove…”, “…who helped us all to grow…”, “whose happiness was a day at the beach…”

What would yours say?

This week’s assignment: “WALK THE BOARDS!  RIDE THE WAVES!”  Spend time doing YOUR favorite activity!  If someone were to write a memorial plaque about you…what would it say?  Where would they put it?  Spend time there doing that thing as if it was your last.  Imagine how you might want to be remembered…then make it a point to LIVE IT!  Do it with love…do it with laughter…and above all: do it with Happyness!

Don’t wait!  Live your legacy today!

Spread Happyness — share your thoughts in the comments!

7/6/18 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com