the art of being happy?

It seems that when there are good things going on in our lives, we are sometimes happy or simply content, but often we are overwhelmed, self-sabotaging, and stressed. If we are happy, is it a false-happy because at some point those things that we thought were so good really weren't? They were really decisions we wished now that we hadn't made then, or they are places that ended up not being as good as we thought, or they were wrong turns in our lives. So, what are we to do? Are we to continue being happy in situations that may turn out to be the complete opposite of what we expect, are we to constantly look for the giant hole in the road, or are we to abandon our expectations, and just enjoy living in the moment?

I guess true happiness is enjoying the moment and our current place in the world.

super puzzle

I did this puzzle called "Lost in a Jigsaw - Survival of the Fittest." All the pieces are identical in shape except for the frame. The idea is that you put the little scenes together so that the animals that eat other animals are blocked by certain walls and fences. The puzzle company supplies a black and white tiny picture of the puzzle solution that you aren't supposed to look at until you are finished. Well, if you aren't a genius and you don't look at the solution, you'll be at this so long the pieces will fall apart. I used the black and white solution, and was still at the 515 piece puzzle for hours and hours. I searched online for a color solution (you'll see why you need color if you try the puzzle), and couldn't find any really good pictures, so I promised myself I would supply one when the puzzle was completed. Here are the two best pictures I have:



I lost some of the pieces over the years through the many attempts I made at this puzzle.

recycle bin

I obtained a recycle bin!

accoutrements...

some additional food to add to the plate

the dictionary.com definition is interesting; it refers mostly to military garb:

1. An accessory item of equipment or dress. Often used in the plural.
2. Military equipment other than uniforms and weapons. Often used in the plural.
3. accouterments or accoutrements Outward forms of recognition; trappings: cathedral ceilings, heated swimming pools, and other accoutrements signaling great wealth.
4. Archaic The act of accoutering.

recycling

My thought for the day is simple: we should recycle more. I am going to improve my barely there recycling efforts. The motivation came from an issue of Action Line that I received showing plastic water bottles in the waters with the ducks and the carcass of an animal that showed in ingested plastic water bottle caps. What a jerk I am I thought, so here goes to recycling.

...and then I start reading the rules. I vow to recycle if I am allowed to recycle to the best of my ability. If I am given back a can of recyclables because of one cap or one plastic bag in the wrong department, something else will have to be tried.

word of the day - ethereal

e·the·re·al (-thîr-l)
adj.
1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
2. Highly refined; delicate. See Synonyms at airy.
3.
a. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
b. Not of this world; spiritual.
4. Chemistry Of or relating to ether.
(the free dictionary)