Barbara Muir Paints

At the lake today
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2026

I want to talk about happiness tonight because we had a
great time down at the lake today watching a spectacular sunset.

And we took a short walk even though it was -6 Celsius (cold).

When taught Positive Psychology I learned that happiness was

a learned emotion. True it helps if you grow up around very
happy people, and it also helps if you're a person who seeks
out that emotion.  An an exercise I did with my
class  helped students (and me) think in positive ways.  

It's called:
10 Reasons to be Happy 
1. I just had a fabulous dinner that Steven prepared.
2.  It was a beautiful day and we walked down by the lake and saw the
geese flying in and landing on the water.
3. I am happy because I have a loving husband.
4. I am happy because I have a loving family.
5.  I am happy because I have kind, funny friends around
the world.
6.  I am happy because I'm an artist, and I love making art.
7. I'm happy that I meet amazing people wherever I go.
8. I'm happy that I live in Canada -- so happy about that.
9. I'm happy that I've learned how to be happy, and am
still learning, and think I will learn more and more for the
rest of my life. And I'm grateful for all that my and Instagram
friends and blog friends have taught me on the subject.
10. I'm happy that I've learned to love myself enough to
choose only to be with kind, funny people.
11. I'm happy that I don't believe in horoscopes, superstition
or most dogma. (A very nice woman who just met me asked me what my 
horoscope was yesterday. I told her that I once almost didn't get an assistant

editor job because the manager thought I had the wrong sign.  He cared
so much that he did my horoscope and found out I had another sign rising.

I got the job, and from then on have had zero interest in the subject.  It

seems crazy like all of the other systems used to divide us. The boss it
turned out was very kind and I liked working for him.)
12.  I'm happy that I love to read and I have more than one
wonderful book.
13.  As usual I'm so happy that I could keep going here all night, but I
won't.
14.  I'm happy that I learned how to make mental lists of 20 things I love --
small things --like the lemons in the glass bowl on the table in front of me.

That makes me happy. 

The world is increasingly fraught, and we artists have to stay
focused on our purpose. Happiness helps that. 

Have a loving your life day!