Leap!

29 days of love and passion! With an extra day this month, we can fill our February with sizzle and excitement. January, a time of beginnings and sober reflection and resolve is over. It’s time to reward ourselves and thrive.

As we learned last month, January is the portal to the year and we encouraged each other to open the door to satisfaction and achievement. 2016 is the year we started our dreams of writing a book.

February brings more than sleet and shivers. February starts with a sleepy rodent, peaks with a day dedicated to romance, then inspires us with a three-day weekend celebration of leadership, and finally gifts us with an extra day. February is named after a Roman festival which sounds like more fun than another of its nicknames- “the month of mud”.

I trust that for the past four weeks, you have been diligent about writing 1,000 handcrafted words a day. By now, you should be at least 30,000 words into your first book. I don’t want you to relax and vacate your dedicated writing area, but it’s time for us to have some fun. It’s time to connect with the real characters in our lives.

What do you do when the dog bites? You simply remember your favorite things. Now that my husband and I are retired, we look for those smile moments- ways to create happy hours together. For the next few weeks, let’s focus on our Joys. I will share my favorites:

A Perfect Day 2/11/15

Travels and vacations- not all require leaving on a jet plane 2/18/15

Food- from burger to bon appetit 2/25/15

Hobbies- cute, quirky and questionable 3/3/15

What are some of your Technicolor moments?

Remembering and describing your Joys does more than spark happiness. Thinking about your frolics will also help you be a better lover, life partner, friend and parent.

Stop eating chicken breasts and bagged salad in front of the tv. Instead make a pizza and sundaes and play a board game.

Get off the treadmill. Find a restaurant, diner, bistro about two miles away, hold hands and walk to it. Indulge and then walk home.

Put down your phones. Make valentine and send them to your kids, grandkids, neighborhood friends. Kiss your special Valentine!

Don’t succumb to the mid-winter blues. Let’s embrace the month of February. Simply remember your favorite things!