What color is your rose?

In my New Year of self discovery I have reacquainted myself with one of the greatest joys in my life. It may sound as if it should be a no-brainer, but in all the distractions I had packed into my day, I wasn't finding the time to enjoy a past time that has the ability to make me happy, excite me, fill me with movement, or even make me cry. I have reacquainted myself with music.

Before TV, DVDs, telephones, the Internet, and jobs that sucked the life out of us, music has been a part of our lives since the cavemen could bang two sticks together. Music has always been an important part of my own life, creating dance and choreography in my head, inspiring me, and getting me through times in my life when I thought 'no one understands me.' However, I lost some of the joy in my life when I stopped listening to my favorite tunes and discovering new ones that speak to me and bring me joy. In giving up TV and concentrating on what I truly love in life, I'm so happy that music, in mass quantities, has come back into my life.

So this is my grand thought for the day: do what makes you happy! Again, it sounds like a no-brainer, but so many people fill their life up with obligation, careers, relationships with friends and coworkers, making money, laundry, cooking dinner...all important aspects of living a fulfilling life, but should not overtake the simple joys. Whether it's playing a sport, writing in a journal, spending an hour in a coffee shop or bookstore, driving around the countryside, spending uninterrupted time with a best friend, going out to dinner, reading, playing an instrument, singing at the top of your lungs...whatever it is in your life that makes you feel as if you were going to burst with happiness - get back to that and make sure it's in your life. Create the time, consciously commit to making yourself happy, and don't feel guilty for taking the time out of your day when you "should" be doing something else. Isn't the saying "stop and smell the roses?" Find your rose, and make sure you stop and smell it!

For me, I now listen to music every possible second out of the day, but I have also made sure that I dance in every day, and write in every day, and talk to my best friends as much as I can, because those are the things that I absolutely love to do. Sure, making money is important, and I gotta get that laundry done, but there's no reason why I can't listen to music at the same time, and enjoy doing it!