Cleaning out the Closet

So, I recently joined a book club.  I have no idea why, because if you asked me if I was a book-club-joining type person I would have laughed and given a resounding "hell no," - but it seemed like an idea that was too good to pass up.  What can be better than being given an assignment of a book recommended by a group of people to read every couple of months, and then meeting together to drink wine and talk about your own personal take on the book you all just read?  It gives me the always-coveted opportunity to voice my own opinions to a group of other human beings who have to listen.  I know I'm selfish like that, but it also makes me a fabulous public speaker that has never experienced even the slightest bit of stage fright when addressing as many people as can fit in an area.

It also gives me the opportunity to push my own agenda, another useful flaw of mine, when it is my turn to pick a book that I love - and everybody else has to read it.  I am certainly a glutton for power, but I do try to use my powers for good.

I kind of knew that any book I was assigned that I had yet to hear about was destined to change my life.  Not because of some crazy spiritual link with fate or god or dharma or karma or whatever other gobblety gook people subscribe to, but because *everything* I come across tends to change my life.  I find meaning in the strangest of places, I make small inconsequential concepts rise to profound heights of enlightenment, because I'm damn good at that, and then I head out into the world and throw up my newfound enthusiasm into whatever brains I can find that are willing to absorb it.  And I like it that way.

The first book was the Happiness Project.  Now I'll admit I'm more of a free spirit than my husband, but even I have my moments of cynicism and the part of me that identifies with Stefan on a fundamental basis went *scoff*, okay, lets read this hippie shit.  Then I'll make some noodle salad and smoke a bong and sing some John Lennon.

But no, this book is a very practical and scientific guide to de-stressifying (I made that word up!) yourself, and basically tackling anything that stands in the way of feeling fulfilled, and thus, happy.  No, I take it back.  Its not a guide.  Its just the way this one lady did it, and that's pretty cool, because everybody's different.  But she and I are luckily a lot alike, which cuts down on the amount of imagination I need to figure out how to make this stuff work in my favor.

I'm not saying I'm gonna turn this barely used blog into my own Happiness Project, or even go balls to the wall trying to change my life.  (I'm also not saying that I won't.)  But, I can't deny the fact that I could be a hell of a lot happier in general.  Nothing in my life is particularly bad, I have every reason to be happy and grateful, and overall, I am.  But much like the author of this book, I am frequently tired, overwhelmed, I complain too often, I get snarky with my kid, my husband, my parents, and even the cat, and I figure I could use a condensed version of all of the scientific studies, spiritual ideals, philosophies, and simple solutions since the dawn of time that have helped people feel less shitty, and more, well, Happy.

Its pretty cool.

I don't quite know what I'm gonna do with my newfound enthusiasum yet, and these things tend to fade from me once I completely overload myself with any idea, so I'm not jumping the gun just yet.  But I can tell you two things that are going to make today different from the rest.  One: on the whiteboard on my refrigerator  it is written "Do what needs to be done."  (With a big ol' smiley face, so Stefan doesn't come home from work and think the voices are telling him to kill us all.)  And Two: pretty soon here, I'm cleaning out all of the clutter in the upstairs rooms.  Clothes, toys, papers, junk that doesn't get used.... I've never had a problem being a packrat, I am keen to throw out as much as possible at all times.  But that doesn't stop the junk from appearing.  This time, I'll throw out what can't be used, and donate the rest.  The goodwill dropoff center is literally within walking distance of my house, and laziness is not an attractive quality.

Catch you on the flipside.