Store Up The Sunlight

Just a few days ago we celebrated my sons first birthday.  It's been a busy year for us.  Well, to be honest this has been the hardest year - no year and a half, of my life.  Some of the struggles I have shared, but there have been some extremely difficult personal struggles as well.  I've been doing a lot of cleaning lately, which I call therapeutic cleaning.  For some reason purging the house of junk helps me feel ..... better, happier, more optimistic.  It makes the chaos going on in my life feel less chaotic.  Anyways, as I was cleaning I came upon a cute little solar dancing flower. 

This trinket was given to me by my dad.  We were at the hospital with my little baby who had surgery on his skull.  Dad went to the gift shop to look for a toy for the baby and came back with this.  With everything going on at the time I didn't think much of it, (no offense dad).  I packed it up and brought it home and forgot about it.  But as I came upon it the other day, months after it was given to me, and after some super hard things have come my way, I was so happy to see it.  Now it has a message and a purpose.  It is a reminder to me to store up the sunlight for the dark days.  So that when those dark days come I can have a reserve of happiness to get me through. 

Since I found it I put it on the corner of the dresser, where it gets a bit of sunlight.  I love to watch it and hear the tick, tick, tick, as it dances.  I notice the silence on overcast days.  I also notice that even just the tiniest bit of sunlight is all it needs to dance.  Just as this flower stores up the sun to dance its happy dance, we too can store up the good things for the bad days.  Just as people have food and blankets for emergencies we can also have a surplus storage of happiness to keep us afloat during times of stress or anguish.  Because everyone has hard days.  Everyone. 

How can we store up happiness?

Look For The Good
Take in the good that is given to us. If you're wearing sunglasses you can't see the full brightness of the sun, right?  We need to take off our metaphorical sunglasses and see all of the goodness that is around us.  It's in all of the little things.  Someone held the door open - that's a good thing.  Someone smiled at you as they walked by - another good thing.  If we look for them they will not pass us by.  Each positive thing we notice can become a brick that we add to our foundation of happiness.  But we have to look for it, and not ignore it. 

What if there is nothing good happening around me?

I believe that there is always some good happening to everyone.  Sometimes it's abundant, other times we have to look harder to find it, but there is always some good. And if you can't find it, then make it. 

How do we store it up?

Grab On To The Good 
When we find those good things, hold on to them.  Write them down, talk about them, be thankful for them.  Put them on your FB timeline.  Call your girlfriends to talk about them.  Tell your kids about them.  Don't let them be like a feather in the wind.  Etch those good things in the stone of your memories!

Keep a Gratitude Journal 
A gratitude journal is a  book that you use to write down all of the things you are grateful for.  One of the things I've dealt with is insomnia.  I tried everything I could think of to get some sleep but the only thing that helped was thinking about all the things I was grateful for.  I would think about my day and make a long mental list and before I could even finish I would fall asleep, and stay asleep.  A gratitude journal could be the perfect remedy for so many of life's trials.

Do What Makes You Happy
This is self explanatory, but think about what brings you peace and joy and make sure that is happening in your life.  For me that might be playing with my kids, reading my scriptures, doing yard work, helping others, etc.  Do whatever brings a smile to your face. 

Hard times are a part of life.  They are supposed to happen, and they are supposed to happen to everyone. 

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

If we can successfully store up the sunlight on those good days, we will have the energy to dance, even in the dark.