For a while now, my friend Lacy and I have been chatting on the topic of “happiness”. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get more of it? What makes us really happy? What makes one person a “happy person” and another not? The questions are endless, but the research, it turns out, is fun! We have in no way become experts, but have learned one thing: Happiness is, among other things, a practice. So like anything else we want to do better, we must make it a habit.
Lacy has been ‘practicing’ for a long time now, and I feel she has a lot to share on the topic. So when I decided to start this blog, I asked her if she would do regular guest-posts to talk about it. I plan to make a habit of reading them. xoxo, Leigh
Hand Me Up!!
There’s something so wonderful about giving and receiving. I pride myself on being a giver. I just love to give for the sake of making someone’s day sparkle a little brighter. Some of my fave things lately are hand me ups. Ok so yes- I know they are traditionally called ‘hand me downs’ but as a glass half full kind of girl I am deeming them ‘hand me ups’! My iphone was a hand me up from a girlfriend who upgraded and didn’t want to let her old one just lay around. It is now of course, appropriately dressed in a fancy Curly Girl Skin! You never know when something that is seemingly out of date or used up to you can bring joy to someone else. I mean seriously that phone is never far from me and because I had my own I didn’t have to get a contract for my service, double score!
A few rules of thumb for maximum hand me up happiness:
1. Don’t pass it off as new. There’s just no need. The days of secret re-gifting are long gone. Saying –hey I am not using this anymore and thought you might like it is plenty nice enough.
2. Send the good stuff. Your gently-worn-just-not-quite-right-on-you sweater may become your gal pal’s all time favorite sweater!
3. Box it up. The potential for a party in a box is huge with hand me ups! And let’s face it anything in the mail that is not a bill is a total delight! Old clothes but new tissue, make a joy to unwrap and discover!
4. Always include a little handwritten love note. Ahem… on a Curly Girl card of course.
5.Pass it on. If you receive something that isn’t quite right for you pass it on to another friend, give it to a homeless person or send it along in your next donation box.
Lacy Young is a professional happy person. You can find out more about her on her blog.
