April 6, 2009

Greetings from The Tough Guy,

You didn't ask me, but I have the answer to your happiness.  All you need is five dollars a day.  Sound worth it?

Times are tough.  You probably hear that from someone in some context every day.  It can wear on you.  In fact, the next person that tells me this, with that tone like they invented the phrase, is going to get a kick in the pants to show them what tough times really are.

I recommend you change the times to something else. Build your own times.  We're in charge.  Happiness on five dollars a day.  Sounds crazy, but it can be done.

I already know you are too busy to deal with this so I'm going to help.  Here's a list of things you can do; one each day for a week.  Invest five dollars a day and a little time, less than an hour each.  Are you worth that investment? 

If you are as parsimonious as I am, you are already calculating what this might add up to in a year, which, if my math is correct, could be close to a couple grand.  Relax.  I included some free alternatives just for you.  And me.

Here is how you can build a happy life on five dollars a day.  Plan your week right now, do one thing each day. 

   Monday

Buy a book.  Go to the used bookstore and buy a hard copy of your favorite title.  If there's time, find a sunny spot and read for a bit.

Free alternative: read Monday Moanin'.  Share it with someone.  Read it to someone.

Go to the library; they've got books you can borrow for nothing.  Hint: choose something uplifting, funny or thought provoking. Titles that include the words like  'macroeconomics' or anything practical should be avoided.

Tuesday

Buy some flowers.  You can get a nice bunch for $5 at the farmer's market, or the grocery store, or a roadside stand.  Put them in a vase where you can see them.  Or, give them to someone.  Or place them at a stranger's spot in a cemetery.

Free alternative: Steal flowers from the cemetery.  (Just kidding.)  If the weather's right, go to a park and look at the green, or take a drive and look for wildflowers.  If not, window-shop in a nursery.  If you have a free museum nearby, go find paintings of flowers.   

Wednesday

Buy five stamps.  Get out five envelopes and some paper and send five hand written notes to your favorite people and tell them why they made the list. 

Free alternative: Call the five people you miss the most and tell them about your resolution to call them every week from now on.

Thursday

Exercise. Change your physicality; get your heart rate up for a bit.  Go buy a fitness magazine, get a big one.  Roll it up so you can carry it with you, and go for a walk.  Or, buy a special calendar to plan your daily exercise for this summer.

Free alternative: Carry an old copy of Good Housekeeping or a Sears catalog and go for a walk.  Pump up the tires and get on your bike for an hour.  Get that yoga mat out from under the bed and use it.  (The yoga mat, not the bed.) Write your exercise goals on that calendar the insurance company sent you.

Friday

Go to your favorite coffee shop and meet the friend you don't get to spend enough time with.  If five bucks won't cover that, go to your second favorite coffee shop.

Free alternative: make a list of your gifts, whatever they are; green thumb, joke teller, birthday-rememberer, musician, parent, poet, mechanic.  Drop in at your friend's house and brag about the list.  Dare them to brag about their gifts.

Saturday

Go to the dollar store and buy a small photo album.  Take pictures of your family and friends, pets, whatever brings a smile to your face.  Print them and put them in the album. Keep the album within arm's reach.

Free alternative: Spend some time with those old photo albums you haven't seen in a while.  Better yet, take the album to your sister, or your Mom or your aunt, and look at them together.

Sunday

Buy a small cake and some candles.  If five dollars won't get you a cake, buy cupcakes.  Gather your family or friends around a table and sing happy birthday to everyone.  Take turns remembering your favorite birthday. 

Free alternative.  Gather your family or friends and simply count your blessings.  List everything you are grateful for.  If it takes longer than an hour, count that as a blessing and add it to the list.  Pray for those whose list might be shorter.

Depending on what you're faced with, this might all seem a little trivial.  These are not life changing activities.  If you are good at math you might have figured out that this only adds up to a few hours of happiness a week.  Not exactly a lifestyle. Yet.

You might be leaning back in your uncomfortable ergonomic desk chair that you paid too much for, which only reminds you of how unhappy you are sitting there, thinking to yourself: "Wait a minute.  I'll do all this stuff and when I'm done times will still be tough, and I'll be out $35.  I'll still be unhappy."

You are too smart for me to trick.  You know that five dollars won't do it.  But the effort is still up to you.  The fiver is just a vehicle, a place to start, seed money.  It's a method to get you off your butt when you reach for your wallet, to get you moving, get focused on what you would do to make a happy, satisfying life. 

Yes, I know that money can't buy real happiness.  But maybe you can at least prime the pump.  At the minimum, this week will have given you something to look forward to each day.  Start again on Monday.  Make your own list; send me your best ideas.

At the heart of happiness is gratitude.  These little exercises are aimed at getting us to be grateful for what we have in our lives, even if it's only an hour at a time.  Need more practice?  Here's one more idea; if you can spare it, give next week's $35.00 to the homeless guy you drive by each week.  Then go do the free stuff.

I'm going running.  I'll stock up on dark chocolate, good coffee.  I'm going to read 'Sweet Thursday'.  Rent 'The Philadelphia Story'.  I'm going to plan a vacation.  I'm going to look at maps and imagine adventures.  I'm going to pray.  I'm going to make a positive difference.  I'm going to hug everyone within reach that I care about.

Quit talking about how tough it is.  Tell me how tough YOU are.

Hope this finds you choosing happiness,         

David

Copyright (c) 2009 David Smith