"Happiness comes in waves. It'll find you again!"*

Nokomis Beach captured with a LUMIX FZ300. Shot at f/4 at 1/1600 ISO100 - only slightly tweaked with Luminar 2018

​Every Sunday I go off track from the business of photography. I write whatever's on my mind and I'm always surprised when what seems like a boring topic that could put a rock to sleep seems to hit home with so many of you. Well, today's one of those mornings, because it's been a pretty fantastic run of just feeling great about life and being happy.

Being "happy" and content with your life isn't something that happens on its own. Happiness runs in waves, but as I've gotten older, I'm finally realizing the timing between waves is up to me. 

Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like.
Unknown Author

​So here I sit this morning pounding away on the computer with this stupid smile on my face, just because I'm happy. That doesn't mean everything is perfect in my life, only that I've learned to appreciate all the good stuff and moved the bad stuff outside! 

Over the years as Sheila and I battled the naysayers in our lives, we started to think of our home as a castle with a moat around it. And, when the sadness and stress from somebody ugly got inside, we'd accuse each other of leaving the drawbridge down for too long. There's a great comment I read once about dealing with challenges in life - "grow through what you go through." Well, that's exactly what we learned to do.

As I write today's post, I hardly have a perfect life. However, I do have a perfect way of appreciating it. The "Negators" can't make it in if I don't let them. The door is always open when they learn to behave with love instead of anger and fear. 
 
I'm just going to start to wrap this up with a terrific quote that covers it all:

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.Forget about those who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it.
Paulo Coelho

​The year is rapidly coming to a close, and December is always the perfect time of year to be grateful for the smiles in your life. Just like a squirrel putting acorns away for the winter, cherish the people you care about most and build a stash of memories you can draw from when your happiness is challenged by the baggage people and events leave on your doorstep. Appreciate the now - this very moment in time when, with a smile on your face, you feel like you could take on the world.

I get that it sounds sappy and hokey, but it works. Your life is never going to be perfect, but that doesn't mean it's not a great life and filled with incredible opportunities that can make you smile both inside and out.

Make it a great Sunday. Go for those eleven-second hugs I've written about for years and make it a day filled with memories that will become daily vitamins when times are tough. And, from me this beautiful Sunday morning, thank you for your support, your inspiration and your contribution to the smile on my face right now!

Happy Sunday!

Be Happy!
Not because everything is perfect.
But, because you choose to focus on the perfect moments.
Author Unknown

*Note on the quote: From GoodHousekeeping.com thanks to Google. Author unknown