10 Things that make me really happy

We are kicking off Blogtober with a happy post – yay! List 10 things that make me really happy. Not just happy but really happy! Now I am not going to write a section about family and friends because – that’s a given. I love them without a shadow of a doubt! I am going to think long and hard about ten hobbies and passions that really make me happy. Do I even have that many? Lets see…

“People haven’t always been there for me but music has” – Taylor Swift

Music has to be the absolute number one happiness in my life. There is not a day goes by that I don’t play a song. I listen to music when I want to fall asleep asleep. It helps to motivate me at the gym. Music passes the time I spend travelling to and from places. The music I choose to listen to daily allows me to express and release my thoughts and feelings in a manner that best helps me. One can never feel alone when they have their favourite music playing!

You’ve never seen me truly happy unless you’ve gone to a concert with me!

With music being my number one joy in life, it is no surprise that attending concerts closely follow. I honestly cannot think of anything that makes me feel happier.

I didn’t have the easiest of childhoods growing up. I spent most of my youth wearing a mask in order to conform to the expectations of my peers because I didn’t feel I would be accepted for who I really was. By attending concerts I entered a world in which I didn’t need to hide. If I wanted to scream, dance, jump or cry then I did – along with thousands of others. I have met some of my closest lifelong friends through music and concerts. A concert is where I feel most confident yet it where you will see me as my most authentic vulnerable self.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more things that you learn, the more places you’ll go” – Dr Seuss

I love love love reading! Just like music, I immerse myself into a world that isn’t my own and for a brief while there are no world problems to think about.

I don’t have a favourite genre of book although I am a sucker for a good romance! I must have boxes upon boxes of Mills and Boon in my parents attic from when I was a teenager dreaming of my happy ever after.

Recently I have read some inspiring books about travel, life and the way we function as humans. Some people might scoff at ‘self-help’ books but I find them genuinely interesting. They help me broaden my horizons and escape the narrow sighted views I hold about myself and the world. Not everything I read is right for me, but once in a while I stumble on a gem that helps put so much into perspective.

The last book I read I cannot recommend highly enough – “The Choice” by Edith Eger. I am currently reading “Emotional Agility” by Susan David which is also worth a read!

Life is not perfect but my nails can be!

Nothing makes me feel happier than having pretty nails. I feel like a ‘proper girl’ and it helps me to feel more confident.

I keep up with all the latest nail technologies. I was a big fan of SNS back in Australia but here in New Zealand I have found something mind blowing! Ombre nails!

My trusted nail technician of choice is Caitlin from the Leah Light Parnell branch. She gave me my first introduction into this (probably not new) exciting world. She is passionate about what she creates (I love a fellow perfectionist) and she doesn’t use any nasties or drills on my nails at all. In fact, I am a subscriber of keeping my real nails now instead of falsies and they are stronger than ever!

Remember, remember the 5th November…

On November 5th, 1605, police arrested a man named Guy Fawkes. He was found guarding explosives intended to blow up the House of Lords and the current King of England James I (No this isn’t the modern day answer to Brexit!) The news of the foiled treason plot resulted in mass celebrations by which bonfires were lit all around London. This tradition is carried on today and it is one of my favourite holidays (if not my most favourite)

It is the one time of year where I will willingly stand in the crisp cold Winter air (preferably wearing a comfy, overgrown hoody stolen from somebody) and drink mulled cider with my nearest and dearest. It is a tradition I love and I have such beautiful memories of past years.

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world” – Mary Anne Radmacher

Travelling makes my soul happy. There is nothing more exciting but at the same time as terrifying as stepping foot into an unknown country.

Change used to cause me major angst and anxiety. The time I have spent travelling has taught me to accept that change is a fact of life. It is not to be feared but rather something to embrace. With each new place, I learn something new about myself. As a result I become somebody new every time I travel.

Life is a bumpy road you learn to drive

I loved driving from the moment I passed my test eleven years ago! I would often take my car out for a drive just so I could have some Sandra time – window down and music up! I have driven the literal length and breadth of the country with friends going to gigs. There is nothing I love more than the clicking of indicators or the feel of the wheel in my hands as I turn a corner.

Maybe it all ties in with my love of travel. Usually, when I drive I am driving to somewhere new or familiar – but ultimately it is somewhere different to where I currently am. I love being on the move with my music. I guess that really is just a metaphor for my life… Funny how I have never linked all of these things together until today. This is the joys of writing I was telling you about!

The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.

I have seen shooting stars and I have been blessed to have seen stars from both hemispheres. There is nothing so beautifully mesmerising.

There is a special place in my heart always for Larrizona Cattle Station in WA Australia. For it was there, in the middle of nowhere, that I marvelled over a galaxy of stars and felt infinitely small.

I have a star named after me somewhere up there. It is recorded and plotted on graphs that only astronomers will read, but it is there nonetheless. Thanks to a romantic heart, a little piece of me will remain when I am long gone from this world, and that makes me smile.

“You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla – African Proverb

There once was a young girl who watched the 1988 film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ and fell in love. Yes, I watched that film and fell in love with the Mountain Gorilla. It is my dream to one day follow in Dian Fossey’s wonderful footsteps and track them in the wild.

My heart hurts for what mankind does to animals. We have lost the white rhino forever and poaching of animals such as elephant and gorillas is still ongoing.

The Mountain Gorilla is still endangered but I read an article not long ago that said conservation efforts were going well. The population numbers are continuing to increase thanks to conservation efforts. This made my heart fit to burst and reignited my passion and yearning to do something for these creatures.

I have so many things that I want to do in life. So many different areas that I want to contribute and make a positive impact on. Maybe it is time I choose just one and focus on that for a while. I hear the gorillas calling my heart again. Maybe its nearly time I go and visit…

“What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms” – Kobayashi Issa

Oh you should see me when I stumble upon the first cherry blossom of the year. I get very excited!!

One day I shall have a blossom bouquet at my wedding. I will also visit Japan during blossom season. My “forever home” if I get one, will have a blossom tree in the garden.

Life is just so much prettier when blossom is in the air!