A Box of Happy

Here's an investment with guaranteed returns.

For $1.00, make a child's day with a box of colorful chalk. Leave the box on her bed with a love note. And that child's charming artwork will bring you far more than $1.00 of happiness. Take photos and your returns will double in the years to come when you both reflect on those sunny days of childhood.

We haven't been able to fit in a family portait in years. At this point, I'm counting on Charlotte's artwork to catalog our family make-up. In fact, I dream of assembling a coffee table book of her artwork to help me endure an empty nest. I thought of naming the book 'I Love You, Mama' as this is the tag line on most of her drawings. My latest thought, however, is to name the book 'A Spoonful of Charlotte' as this mighty book is bound to help the medicine go down—the fleeting of time, a deterioration in health, vision issues—whatever is in store for me should I be fortunate enough to make it to a beautiful old age.

I'm planning out my happiness.

In fact, I've been giving a lot of thought to mindful happiness the last few years. I've been assembling my children's traditional keepsakes (artwork, report cards, photos, etc.) into files for their easy retrieval as adults. When I started, it struck me to include more meaningful things as well—bits of wisdom when they come to me, a love note for my far-off descendants—and my take on happiness and how to foster it. The more I move on it, the more convinced I am that everyone should leave such a guidebook for their kiddos. What to do, what NOT to do. I mean, isn't happiness the thing?

So far, I have a handful of essays. Gosh, 'essays' sounds so—so what? Collegy? So far, I have a handful of studies. What's the word here? Though some stories are typed up, not everything is written out yet. I scribble down notes and test out my theories regularly. Some experiments are spiritual, some are physical, some are silly. Really, these are all excuses to be mindful about happiness because I believe mindfulness can make for powerful results.

Code name: Hello Happiness.

I made a list the other night of some of my sillier experiments with happiness and I realized that I should be including you guys in this. For instance, why have I not posted about my Cleaning Crown? Or video-taped a Family Dance-Break for you to laugh at? Though I did post about taking a Clogging Class with my friend, Sarah, and learning to Make Yogurt, I did not revealed my intent nor my impressions. 

The colored chalk was a simple plan to make the lessons I teach at my church a smidgeon more fun for the ladies. I wish I had thought to get an extra $1.00 box for Charlotte and leave it on her bed with a love note. That idea didn't crystallize till after we divied up my teaching supply and enjoyed a few minutes of scribbling on the driveway together.

I'll have to surprise Charlotte with a new box of chalk in a couple of weeks when these others are worn to nubs.

Comments

[Megan]

what awesome inspiration! My husband and I haven't started a family yet, but I bet there's no need to wait to start a happiness project that we could share with our some-day children.

[Jennie P.]

Maybe the word you were looking for was "reflections?" I don't know, but either way you say it, it's a great idea. By the way, I just wanted to say how happy I was that Freshcut was being reprinted. They were the very first fabrics (along with Pop Garden) that I bought for myself to use in sewing projects. Before that I used whatever fabrics people wanted to get rid of or from scraps of old clothes. You are and will always be my favorite fabric designer, and I look forward to new gorgeous designs. I was super happy when your newest collections came out!

[MarkOz]

Great one H. DW and I are taking photos of the many many drawings and paintings our three cherubs make for us and when we have quite a few we will have them printed and put onto fabric... then Grandma will make a patchwork quilt of them... that is the plan! So we will then need roughly 400 1/2 postcard sized images. Sounds like a lot but at this stage it will only take about 6 years. So by the age of 21 they should each have a queen sized quilt with a mixture of art from all of them over the past years. Big project when written down like this, but easy when chunked down little by little.

Mark.

[MFM]

Heather,
I love your ideas. To pass on bits of wisdom and stories is a great idea. Since I have been doing geneology, I have come to realize how important family stories are. Make sure you include things about your growing up and have Isaac do the same. Have Elijah also write some of his memories. Charlotte's pictures are a definate addition. You are a good Momma and your children will thank you
Love ya lots,
Aunt Muff

[heather from arizona]

would love to hear all about this cleaning crown! Do you leave it out for the cleaning fairy who comes to clean your house while you sleep? I'd love to entice her over to my house!!

[Lenna Green]

"I believe mindfulness can make for powerful results" I totally agree with you and we should all be much more mindful about creating happiness where ever we go and whatever we do.Thanks for sharing.

[Deb Baker]

Delightful blog as always .. thank you. I love the idea of a coffee table book for the children's artwork - gorgeous!

[Melody King]

Long time reader and wanted to say Wow that sounds awesome!A few years ago on a bright sunny afternoon I yelled to my kids and Dh (he was working from home that day)to come out to the driveway I had a huge box of colored chalk waiting and made up an activity to trace our shadows in chalk any pose we wanted and we traced each other's shadow portraits.We got lots of curious looks from passer by's but the result was soooo worth it!My neighbor's still remember that and tell me how fun it was to see the portraits!!

[Seanna Lea]

I love the idea of the little vignettes being interspersed amongst treasures that they will more readily recognize. It sounds like it will turn their later reminiscing from wow, look at these, to oh, I never thought of that and make the entire experience more of a full family one.

[pieceLove]

Speaking of kid art, have you seen this? http://childsown.wordpress.com/
My friend e-mailed me a link to it not long ago, and I think it's brilliant.

[CocktailMom]

I recently pulled out the sidewalk chalk on a day that spring made it's appearance in our place of the world. My two boys and I sat and scribbled, drew and dreamed and it was the best 30 minutes of my week. Be well, Gretchen