Posted on January 12, 2022

"Smile more frequently."

—Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

The past two years have been almost—if not entirely— life changing for most of us. In my case, two-and-some-change years of a pandemic means all that time away from my family—most of it was away from my partner as well—, while staying home about 80% of that time. I’ve found that by limiting the options I have to do stuff—mainly outside—, I fall into a rabbit-whole of a routine. Think of it as Instagram-scrolling through your days, and before you realize it is already the end of the week and you didn’t even notice. Sure, I do a lot over the week in relation to school, work, personal finance, home and personal care, but it feels like the routine is passing through me instead of me living it.

I guess what I’m saying is that I think I need to be more mindful day-to-day. Live every minute of that 80% of time at home the same way that I do when I’m not. I think this would help me appreciate every small thing more and, thus, maybe smile more. In my case, I’m not sure if I smile frequently or not. What I do know is that if I do, then they are fleeting moments due to lack of mindfulness right there and then. If I’m living more intentionally, chances are that I won’t only smile more frequently, but I’ll notice it and will appreciate it even more.