There and Back Again, a Tale about Happiness

"'The time has come,' the Walrus said. 'To talk of many things: of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax -- of cabbages -- and kings -- and while the sea is boiling hot -- and whether pigs have wings.'" - "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll.

The time has come, my friends, to say goodbye, for this is my last blog posting.

The road to finding happiness is a long journey, and I don't think mine has ended quite yet. I believe that I have more pleasant surprises awaiting me just around the corner, and I hope that all of you have some coming your way as well.

I would now like to use this time to use some quotes to put a smile on all of your faces.

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." -- Steve Martin.

"We are all on this earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know." -- W. H. Auden.

"If love is the answer, could you please rephrase the question?" -- Lily Tomlin.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone." -- Anthony Burgess.

"Be obscure clearly." -- E.B. White.

"There is no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap." -- Kevin James.

"All the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911." -- Lewis Black.

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close knit family in another city." -- George Burns.

"I intend to live forever. So far, so good." -- Steven Wright.

I hope that got a few chuckles, I know every single one of them got me to giggle, but that's also cause I'm Jane Morrell...and I'm silly.

I have enjoyed writing this blog, it has been an adventure within itself. I have grown so much within these past months, it is strange to think about how different I am now then I was when I started with my first post.

I would like to thank all my commenters for my blogs, that includes you too Kayak Girl.

For those who get the humor of the title of this posting, I give a smile and a wink.

And now I would like to say goodbye in person, so to speak:

The Good Old Days

Hey everyone! Happy Easter!

Do you guys know what time it is? It’s finals week! Yay! ...Yeah, I’m not excited either.

Now, I could do a blog about finals, how they are stressful, awful, etc., and I could talk about not letting anxiety of finals get to you, but I’m going to be honest with you guys -- finals are rough, and it does get tiring when you’re constantly having to listen to someone tell you to be positive during finals week.

So to save myself from getting annoyed glares, I’m going to blog about a quick and easy way to make one feel instantly happy: nostalgia.

Ah, the “good old days,” whether it was just yesterday or eons ago, we all have a time in our lives that puts an automatic smile on our faces every time we think about them or we are reminded of them.

Old TV shows, food, pictures, games, movies, books, etc. the little things that we hold on to and that we tie in our minds to a better time, an easier time.

And with finals, an easier time is what we need right now.

So these next few weeks, try and take some time out of studying (you guys better be studying!) and watch that old show, or play that old video game, for a few minutes and re-live that time of your life where you felt safe, confident and, most importantly, happy.

Just don’t go overboard because you might get stuck in trying to bring back the past. Nostalgia is a strong drug, and should only be used in small doses.

To go with my blog posting, I’m going to show you a few pictures of my most nostalgic moments so please don’t laugh, or at least don’t tell me that you laughed.

Laugh Your Cares Away!

Hi, everybody! Today I’m going to talk about one of the strongest medicines in the world: laughter.

I would like to credit the topic of today’s blog to my brother Matt Morrell. He will explain why laughter is so important for pursuing happiness:

Audrey Hepburn once said, “I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.”

Laughter can lift up a person from the lowest pits of despair and bring them out into the sunshine.

I think it’s the only medicine that doesn’t taste bad…but it might give you the hiccups.

When you or your fellow friend(s) are down, laughter is an easy way to bring back smiles, and the best part is, is that everybody wins!

Now I will be the first to admit, that sometimes a joke can go a bit too far at times, so just try to keep things simple and fun. You don’t want to offend anyone.

But sometimes, as ridiculous as the joke or the hilarious event, you can’t help but laugh…unless it’s when someone falls down - that’s just mean.

I know it’s hard to feel good when you’re sad, lonely, mad, or scared. Heck with all that has been happening with my life, all the drama and stress with finals coming up, the whole concept of laughing and being happy can seem like it’s out of reach.

You have to keep going, through all that silly drama and worrying. You’ve got to just laugh it off; I promise you that it will all be okay in the end.

However long it takes, eventually you will have a smile on your face again.


“If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.” – Robert Frost

Treat Yo' Self!

Many pardons for the strange grammar of this weeks blogging title "Treat Yo' Self", I promise I have not lost my sanity. 

Recently I have been watching a TV show called "Parks and Recreation", which is a comedy about the parks and recreation department in a fictional town in Indiana called Pawnee. To give a brief description, it is similar in style with that of the once popular show: "The Office." 

If you liked "The Office" you might want to give this show a shot.

But enough about the show itself, my blog today is going to focus on an episode in "Parks and Recreation" called, you guessed it, "Treat Yo' Self."

In this episode, two supporting cast members that work in the department celebrate their annual "Treat Yo' Self Day" in which they -- here I'm going to let them explain it for you guys:

So what does this have to do with my blog? Well I think that Tom and Donna, the two characters in the show, have invented a new and genius idea: spending an one entire day out of the whole year to treat yourself to the things you love and make you happy.

Granted, they might have an expensive way of doing it and I want you to know that I'm not encouraging people to spend gobs of money buying clothes and other various objects.

What I like is the whole concept of "Treat Yo' Self."

I think that setting aside one day to be a tad bit selfish and reward yourself with the things you love to do the most, is a healthy idea because it gives one time to enjoy their uniqueness without judgement, as Ben, another character in the show, learns when he joins them on the quest to treat themselves.

I won't ruin the end for you, but it is worth a watch.

I think this is an idea that should be welcomed and further explored and I hope that at some point this year of 2014 that all of you will pick a day to "Treat Yo' Self."

The Happiness Disease

Hello everyone! Are you ready for another awesome blog about happiness? I am...well that's because I'm writing it...yay for blogs!

Okay, I don't know about you guys but I can't stop singing Pharrell Williams' song "Happy."

 It's so catchy and it makes one want to dance around the room and anyone one around you automatically joins in, spreading this happiness across the room like a virus.

Which brings us to the topic of today's blog: happiness is like a disease.

I'm not trying to be dark here, but it is true when you think about it.

For example, when someone smiles at you and wishes you a happy day, it in turn gives you a warm feeling inside and you find yourself smiling and walking around to others greeting them in the same manner. The "happiness disease" then latches on to the next person and then goes from one victim to another after that. 

Happiness spreads like wildfire, when someone that you care about is overwhelmed with joy, you find yourself feeling the same. This is one disease in which the cure has not yet been found...because its awesome having the happiness disease!

Pharrell Williams knows what I'm talking about (I think he's cracked the secret of song making!). It's practically impossible to not be happy while listening to his song and you can't escape it because it plays everywhere you go!

Guys, I think Williams might have created a new plague! The Happy Plague! 

It sure beats the Black Death, wouldn't you agree?

So let's spread the happiness everyone; smile and be kind to others and your happy thoughts might lift up their hearts and they too will continue this happy fest.

It wouldn't hurt if we all danced like Williams as we spread the happy virus. Man, that guy is a great dancer!

Think Different -- Think Positive

Hey everybody, how are you on this fine Sunday? I hope that all of are enjoying your spring break and are getting plenty of rest; I know I am.

This week, the focus of my blog is about choosing good attitudes.

Sometimes we get stuck in a stressful scenario and as a result we become angry or irritated as if the world is out to get us – we let it bring us down.

The sad part about of all of this is that sometimes it really isn’t as big of a deal as we think it is. Something as little as getting a B on a paper, isn’t the end of the world, and yet for some (myself included) it ruins our entire day or week.

So what should we do? – choose a better attitude.

Turn that B into something positive, its constructive criticism only designed to help you become better. B is an awesome letter! The word beautiful starts with B, so there you can tell yourself that that B on your paper stands for beautiful.

When working as a camp counselor, I was given the pleasure of watching an enlightening video exploring this very topic. A man named David Foster Wallace was giving a speech to graduating college students, and what he talks about really changed the way I look at things today.

I’ve uploaded his speech called “This is Water”, and I am apologizing for some mild language in the video beforehand. This is pulled from the actual video and I suggest all of you watch it and you can find it on Youtube.

But here is the audio for Wallace’s speech:

https://soundcloud.com/jane-morrell/discurso-this-is-water-david

Apple Inc. once had this logo “Think Different” and I find it an appropriate phrase for this subject.

I challenge all of you to think different – think positive.

Blinded by the Sun...or by Happiness?

Hey everyone, it’s that time again for my Sunday blog!

I’m very sorry that I didn't post last week. It was a quite the busy weekend.

Well guys, this week I’m going to focus on something very serious.

Happiness is important; this has literally been my blog theme for the past two months.

But, sometimes in our efforts to finding happiness, we in turn become blinded by it.

It’s like being blinded by the sun.

At times we forget to think about others and think only to please ourselves.

And with every action there is a reaction, sometimes good…and sometimes bad. Sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes you get hurt, even if your action initially brought you joy.

It’s like eating this Gingerbread house.

When you see it, you can feel your taste buds start to dance. It’s as if you can hear it calling out “EAT ME, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.” 

You don’t just eat it, you scarf it down, and it tastes so amazing that you can’t help being happy. 

Smiling and laughing, you feel great!

Suddenly, you don’t feel so gleeful anymore; it’s as if you've got a giant rock in your stomach. You feel heavy, sick and gross.

And then, just when you think it couldn't get any worse, the creator of the gingerbread house walks over and sees that you've just eaten his or her masterpiece.

This is when you ask yourself, “Why did I do this to myself?”

At that point, you realize your mistake and how, not only are you in pain, but you also hurt another in the process…by eating their piece of art.

And then you ask yourself, “Why did I do this to him/her?”

But you know why – it’s because satisfying your own wants blinded you to the dangers and effects that would arise when you ate that gingerbread house.

This is one example of letting self happiness blind you. Sometimes is could be something small, like acting goofy with your friends in public and irritating other people.

Sometimes it can be very troublesome, like choosing to watch TV over studying for a test.

And here is where it gets even more complicated:

You could be the most caring person in the world, but on the road to happiness there is bound to be pain -- strangers, friends, family, and even you, will get hurt at some point.

We all have to make tough choices in order to progress in life and to reach happiness: should I go to school or start working? Should I this money or save it? Should I quit now or keep going? Is it better having short-term happiness or long-term happiness?

I’m sure you all have heard the saying, “Life isn't fair,” and it’s true.

But, that doesn't mean that you can’t try to make it as fair as possible. If you find yourself happy beyond this world but it’s at the expense of another, I ask you to try to find a way for both of you to benefit in your situation. It won’t work every time, but at least you tried and no one can look down on you for that.

In summary, don’t let your happiness blind you to what’s really important in your life.

It's The Circle of Stress and It Hurts Us All!

"It's the circle of life and it moves us all!" we all know that song from Disney's the Lion King, and if you haven't, look it up cause its an awesome song, one of Disney's finest.

Anyways, the song talks about "the circle of life", how we live, we die, and how from our death new life begins, in this never-ending cycle; all that good stuff that kids need to know. Well, as inspirational as that is, there is another seemingly another never-ending circle that we tend to find ourselves in: the circle of stress.

The circle of stress is not a good circle to get caught in for it is the no.1 way of keeping one from reaching happiness.

Yet we all find ourselves caught in this cycle at some point in our lives. I'm one of the worst at finding myself stuck in it, and I can tell you it is detrimental towards a person's health. 

But what is stress exactly?

According to www.stress.org, stress, as defined by Hans Seyle in 1936, is "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change."A simple definition for a not so simple concept. 

Guys, stress can cause so much harm to a single individual, it can even kill:

"There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In addition stress can have direct effects on the skin (rashes, hives, atopic dermatitis, the gastrointestinal system (GERD, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis) and can contribute to insomnia and degenerative neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease." - www.stress.org 

We have to be careful, and not let stress get us down. We have to break out of its circle! This is a hard challenge, I know that I am fighting my way out of it as well.

When one is worried, he or she needs to sit down and take a deep breath and ask: what is the worst outcome that can happen in this situation that I'm stressing out about? Once one figures out the worst and accepts it, the stress lessens and one feels instantly better.

Once one breaks out of the circle of stress, he or she is that much closer to happiness.

Here is a link for those wishing to learn more about stress: http://www.stress.org/

Watching the World Around You

Today was a gorgeous day! It was one of those days were you wanted to run around and lie on the warm grass at the same time. If you haven't already guessed, that's exactly what I did.

And that's what I want to focus on today, not me running around, but enjoying days like today and how it ties back to pursuing happiness. We are going to call it: Watching the World Around You.

It's amazing what you can witness when you just take the time to sit down and watch the goings on around you. 

Whether its "people watching" where you just watch the people around you, or just watching the clouds in the sky, it can be very relaxing and pleasing to the soul.

Getting a little deep here guys so bear with me. We are always rushing now a days thanks to today's technology; we live to be instantly satisfied. 

It's because of this lifestyle that people always feel stressed out and in a sense, never satisfied with themselves or their lives.

We need to have times where we just lie on the ground on a sunny day, and just release the stress that floats around in our minds. If we don't we'll just explode, and I'm not kidding, I've seen it happen before and it's not a pretty sight!

By taking the time to sit and watch the world, you can see some of the most beautiful things created by nature.

Here are some of nature's masterpieces that I've been lucky to have had my phone to take a picture of:

Pop in some music, take a friend(s), or even better, take a friend that can play a guitar and go outside and watch the world around you, there I challenge you! Go do it people!

Keep Calm and Hobby On

Hello again! I hope everyone has enjoyed the past week with all the snow and the days off from school.

I, during all of it, was constantly pouncing around in the snow like a child who drank way to much soda, or like a psychotic cat that started spazzing out, take your pick.

Moving on from that, today I am going to blog about hobbies! Yay! People be excited because I am!

Hobbies are activities that one regularly does for the sake of self fulfillment, or, you guessed it, to make one feel happy. Hobbies include, and are not limited too: reading, fishing, creating art, listening to music, writing, cooking, dancing, singing, scrap-booking, woodworking, taxidermy, KNITTING (for Kayak Girl), to infinity and beyond the hobbies go on and on.

The ones listed above are examples of healthy hobbies. Partying all night and day may be a regular hobby for some and it may bring temporary joy, but it harms more than it helps when it comes to having a happy healthy lifestyle. Make good choices people!

If you have a hobby don't stop, continue on with it and don't let anyone bother you about it. Its your hobby, use it when you need it. Kayak Girl, never stop knitting! 

For those who don't have a hobby, find one! Imagine if "happiness" was a giant Hershey bar (or whatever candy bar you enjoy), a hobby would be getting a piece of that amazing chocolate bar every time you partake in it. Sounds pretty awesome right? Well it is! 

Finding a hobby that always puts a smile on your face is another way of helping you find confidence in yourself and enjoy life a little more. It also helps connect you with others who think and act just like you, and who doesn't want that?

Sometimes in life we bogged down and fall into the dark hole of despair, and it feels like the way out is impossible, having a hobby gives people a ladder to climb out of the hole. Hobbies renew our hopes and dreams (not to sound cliche or anything) and to once more open our hearts to others. I think it should be a requirement of humanity to at least have one hobby.

So, I know many of you have heard the saying "Keep Calm and Carry On" right? Well I have new motto that I challenge all of my readers to follow: keep calm and hobby on. If you want happiness, finding a hobby is the best way to start.

If you have a hobby you want to talk about, please share by commenting below because I love hearing about other peoples hobbies!

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Hi everyone, its me, Jane Morrell again, wishing all of you a very merry Sunday.

As you know I am blogging about the "Pursuit of Happiness" for these next few months, and in my last post, my dear family friend, Mrs. Julie Blankenship, posted a comment that touched my heart. Thus, I think that she deserves a shout out: two cheers for Mrs. Blankenship! If you haven't read her comment, then please give it a look, because I feel it defines the word "happiness" to a tee...in a really awesome song.

Now, in continuation with my theme, today I'm discussing the concept of "Beauty in the eye of the beholder"and how it ties in with pursuing happiness.

We are at the dawn of an interesting age in literature…I call it the Dark Age! Wait, that’s taken? ~Grumbling~ okay fine, how about ~drum roll~ the Cuddly Vampire Age! Okay, I know we've all had enough of the crazy vampire fans and the army of haters trying to get rid of them, but I wanted to open up a new perspective: Who really cares? I mean, if it makes people happy, then by all means let ‘em be. I’m not a fan of these books, such as Twilight, or other books that follow in this pattern.

In fact I used to be an extreme hater, I would go on and on about the death of real literature in today’s generation and the stupidity it spread and yada yada. Then I took this course in my with a very caustic professor. I will call him Professor X to respect his right to privacy, and before I continue, this is not a hate blog, I am just using my experience with him as an example for the point I'm trying to get across. I learned a great deal from this professor and I respect him as a person.

Professor X seems to most people who meet him or take his class a sour, cold-hearted man, who smiles only for a second and then it turns back into a permanent frown (which is actually quite a scary sight). He was a man who liked to go on and on about the idiocy he had to face with today’s college students, and seeing that the man is an excellent scholar, I can understand his opinion on today's generation since he knows what true literature really is and where to find it.

He held his opinion so high above his students, that no matter how much you tried, you could never be right or ever impress him. It was very difficult to learn and to be involved in his class, I mean it would be hard for anyone to learn when you're constantly told that you're a simpleton. This really backfired on Professor X especially when he would be trying to teach an important life message and no one wanted to listen due to all the belittlement.

I enjoyed his class and tried hard not to let my feelings get hurt, its college so you have to take the punches every now and then, but he would drive me insane when he would preach Buddhism in class. I’m a Christian, but I know several Buddhist followers. Professor X knows what Buddhism is, but he doesn't really know what it is to be a Buddhist, they are some of the most joyful people you will ever meet. My Buddhist friends are so at peace with life that they always feel blessed to be alive. They see the beauty in life's little miracles, where most would not, or are just too busy to notice these small wonders. Buddhists are like an antonym for the word "bitter".

He may be right about literature, and about a many other things, but he is not truly happy, which to me, is more important than being right.

That got me to thinking, who am I to take away someone else’s happiness? So what if they like Twilight and other novels like it. I may not think it’s a fantastic inspirational piece of literature, but that doesn't mean I should ruin it for those who read it and find joy among its pages!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or, in other words, another man's trash is another man's treasure. We have a right to freedom, speech, and religion, but we also have a right to happiness.

Wherever we get that happiness, we have a right to enjoy it.

If I were to continue on this way, I have a feeling I would be so swept up in my pretentious rampage that I would lose sight of books that once made me feel the same, not just books, but life’s joys as well! I would turn into Professor X!!!! But that doesn't mean I have to like them, I will never like Twilight, or any Nickolas Sparks book, but I should be nicer to those who do.

I’m no saint however, I've got a long way to go when it comes to being nice about literature, but I’m glad I figured it out now rather than later. I want to be truly happy with my life when I come to my end -- I want to die knowing that I lived a good and happy life, I don’t want to die a harsh person with a frozen heart...or on an empty stomach, something about dying without one last good meal bothers me for some strange reason.

Anyways, the point I am trying to get across here is that the next time you see someone jumping up and down and squealing like a deranged chipmunk about a book, movie, etc. that you, with every fiber in your body, cannot stand, take a deep breath and try to be happy for that person. 

Try it out and you might find that you feel happier too after its all said and done.

Hi everyone, my name is Jane Morrell. I'm from Auburn, Alabama but I go to Troy University. I am hoping to major in print-err, I mean- multi media journalism (because according to many in the Communications department print journalism is dead) and minor in graphic design.

I've never blogged before so you are just going to have to just bear with me here.

I would like to discuss with anyone caring to read this blog at the moment about a topic that many people my age lose sight of, or get the wrong idea about, and that is the concept of pursuing happiness.

"What is happiness?" one might ask me, and I answer in return, "No idea, but its something that everybody wants, including me." The closest thing I can compare it too is a piece of your favorite cake, made to perfection and the moment you taste it, its like the skies open up and golden rays of sunshine fills your heart. Its an awesome piece of chocolate cake.

But how do we get this piece of cake? Thats one of the great mysteries of life my friends. It is not an easy path, and I fear that I'm nowhere near it myself, but I've had a glimpse of it before.

And it, happiness, is what we should really be trying to reach in life more than anything else. Pursuing happiness is the why we are on this planet, why we are alive.

Therefore, I think it deserves a shout out, don't you?

So, for the next few weeks, months, or however long I feel like blogging about it, I'm going to be talking about happiness.

I hope you guys enjoy it!