I was at work the other day at a children's center playing with the kids during their free time. I went over to a young boy and asked him what he was playing. We ended up sitting against the wall talking about how to be happy. The boy looked at me and responded with an adorable and wise answer to the question of what we need in life in order to stay happy and healthy.
He had a simple answer yet it was full of maturity, truth, and wisdom. "Eat well", he began. "Play well, sleep well, and exercise well!" He seemed to have it all covered. We sat there watching the kids play and right before I began to start another conversation with the boy he added a point to his list. "Oh! ...and play Candyland!!"
Cute right? The must have's in a kids life: food, play time, sleep, exercise, and Candyland.
I came home from work and shared this story with my friends and realized that his response was powerful. We need more than the essentials. We need to add something to our lists; we need to add something we care about, something that makes us smile, something that causes us to lay in bed at night and say 'wow, today was a good day'.
This doesn't have to be something big; it doesn't have to be big enough to result in a 'life event' post on Facebook or make it into our highlights of the year list. Its simplicity is what makes it powerful.
So what in your life is missing?... Your Canydland!
We all have our own 'Candyland'; our own little thing that we can add to our day that will make us happier. It's your job to figure out what that is for you. If there was an answer I could give you that could directly tell you what your life is missing I would share that with you. You, however, are too unique for my specific advice.
My advice can guide you but can not help you; you can only help yourself. Center yourself, thank yourself every day for even just getting out of bed in the morning. Find something little and simple that you can add to your life that makes you feel alive. Whether that's sitting down with your favorite tea, listening to your favorite band, or simply taking 30 seconds of silence to clear your mind, do something unique to you.
This advice may seem simple and worthless. I challenge you, however, to try it out this week. Do something your yourself every day this week and see how you feel at the end. I promise you that time taken for yourself is never wasted- time. You're worth it.
Find your Candyland. Once you do that, getting through your molasses swamps will become easier and you can begin to reach your candy castle.
