This past Monday I had a Happy Day. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I didn’t wake up knowing that I was going to do it. By the time I got to the office I had decided I wasn’t going to let the dumb stuff bother me. Perhaps it is the manifestation of the realization I had made some weeks ago when I was asked “What gifts do you have that you would like to make available to the world?”. I didn’t know what to say at first. My inclination was to answer that I don’t have any gifts to bestow upon the world. But that wasn’t good enough for me. I knew I had something to offer, and I came with the answer “I would like to make people happy with my humor”.

How it Went

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to stay happy all day. I surprised even myself. Earlier in the day I had to remind myself that these things don’t matter, but by the time I was headed home for the day, it already become almost natural just to be happy. I got stuck behind a slow guy on the interstate, making me have to break y cruise control. In the past something so trivial has gotten me quite upset, and yet, I barely acknowledged it at the time. It wasn’t until I was passing him that I realized the significance of the moment.

An interesting side effect of the day is that I remember fewer of the things I didn’t like, but  more importantly, I remember more of the things I did like. I remembered Carl’s joke of the day, I explicitly remember how much joy Carl got out of the joke my Dad wanted me to pass on to him, and how yummy the green chili cheeseburgers on homemade bread were for dinner.

What I Learned from my Happy Day

The next day, when I woke I was still happy. I suppose it isn’t really a surprise. Nothing happened that would warrant my not being happy any longer. But it’s nice to know that by having a single happy day there has been a residual effect. I noticed myself getting frustrated at small things again near the end of the day, but found that I enjoyed being happy enough to realize this and readjust quickly.

The other interesting thing I noticed was that others around me were happier as well. When I happily showed up to work the day after my happy day, one of my coworkers said to me with a big smile on her face “I’m glad you’re having another happy day!”. This in turn brightened my own day just a little. So there becomes a cyclical feeding effect of happiness as well. It spreads from one person to the next much like a virus, but it’s a happy virus!

There really is something to questioning these instances where we start to get annoyed and show it outwardly. Is there any benefit to being frustrated, or upset? I haven’t found one yet. In the past I’ve wanted to show grumpiness simply so others would see that I’m unhappy without having to explicitly tell anyone. But even that is lacking in logic. Who really cares? If I am actually angry for a valid reason, I suppose observers won’t want to interact with me until they see I’m fine again. But, I’m finding there are very few reasons to be honestly angry or unhappy.

My New Mission

It was a small experiment that led to some large realizations. Realizations of the kind that cannot be taught, but have to be experienced to understand fully. I have decided that my gift to the world is in fact happiness, and my mission is to spread happiness to those who interact with me on all possible occasions with the hope that their happiness will then spread to those who interact with them. It is a small gift, but a worthy one.

Your Quest, Should you Choose to Accept it.

Try out your own happy day. Go into it without expectations. When things begin to bother you, think about what the benefit of being angered or upset by it is. If there is no benefit, then shrug it off and be outwardly and inwardly happy. Don’t put on a facade, but genuinely be happy.

If you do decide to take the quest, let me know how your happy day went, and what you learned from it in the comments.

We are masters of making ourselves unhappy and depressed. I’m going to become a master of making myself happy.

Today is my happy day. I had such a wonderful weekend, and decided that I didn’t want to let everything that normally bothers me take it’s toll. So I  have formally declared today my happy day. Dumb client request? Ok, *smile*. Crafty driver cuts me off? Ok, *smile*.

Because what is really important. Do all these things matter so much to ruin my day? Client requests aren’t killing anyone, they may make a strong design less stunning, but if that’s what they want and they are standing hard on the issue so be it. No hair off my back. Some one cuts me off? I didn’t get in an accident, maybe raised my heart rate a little, but again, no one is really worse for the wear after that split second it is over.

I suppose we could also take the view point of Run Lola Run and know that every little thing effects everything later on down the road. But that process will destroy even the happiest of people because in my opinion we can’t control anything on that level no matter how insane we make ourselves trying.

I guess my point is. It’s not worth it to be upset about anything, because those are all things I cannot control anyway. And when you begin to think about it, does getting upset really change anything other than your own perspective?

Why is it that the world swirls around me with such speed. Never able to focus on anything before it leaves my vision only to once again return to it later. I feel as though there is no time to enjoy it but simply exist and be gone. Am I this blur to all other things as well? Or has someone, somewhere, been able to focus on me?

“Perhaps if I just took the time to enjoy the things presented to me, I could experience life rather then just be a piece of it.” -Hairy Applegate

Poor Kitteh you tried so hard!

Although you have to admit, you did get yourself in quite the situation. You truly were doomed from the start. And the worst part of it all is that no one really came out the winner here.

“fish…fish…fish…fish…GOTCHA! oh no…” —the kittehs mind

There were three to start things off. It was the beginning of a new era. Things would never be the same as they were once the game “Things” started to propagate. We don’t know how they did, perhaps it was simply that they always existed and these three made it possible for the others to come out and be seen. But what is done is done, there is no going back. This is the new era. So let me introduce you.

Mr. McGroober
He is the one that lead them all here from wherever it is they came from. A natural sense of leadership enhanced by an understanding of strategy and probability, has taken him through many battles. Only having experienced few defeats he has actually only become stronger from, he is definitely a formidable opponent. Don’t let him take too long before he acts though, his mind is a whirlwind of possibilities and the more he gets to play out, the less likely it is you will defeat him yourself.

The Cheshire Naga
Rarely seen, but still a founder. Always looking for loopholes, he plays to win. Often loud and uses his personality to distract others from the rules set forth in the game. You have to pay attention to this one, he’s a tricky one.

Minikin Max
Minikin Max. Such an unusual creature. Very lovable, but when he plays he acts as though he has no experience. Through sheer innocence and lovability others allow him to get away with things others may not, simply because. This is part of his strategy. He has never lost.

I win at being awesome!

Project: Professional Pro-Bono
Status: Branding element for “The Game Thing”. An every Monday event in Santa Fe, NM at the Santa Fe Complex from 6pm to 9pm. Come Game with us.

Everyone loves Hectür, but he doesn’t always think before doing. Just a few days after this picture was taken, he and his adventuring party had a run in with a couple griffons. In an attempt to acquire a golden feather in trade for a ration, he ended up three fingers short, a ration short and with nothing in return.

“There isn’t a single problem that can not be solved with a tiny bit of axe intervention.”

Project: Personal
Status: Finished, Unused

Ooo, look at my bubbly! I made a bear once. I think I pissed him off though. I pulled his tail and he ran away. I haven’t seen him since.

“Pssst, right behind you dude. Oh wait. Let me rephrase that. Shhh, I’m going to get you dude”

Project: Personal
Status: Finished, and given away as christmas gifts for 2010

Weeeeeeeeeeeee! Holy crap I’m dancing! This is like the best thing since my kitchen caught on fire the other day. It was the darndest thing really. I had just about all my daggon coffee makers making coffee. Cause’ y’know that’s what they do, right? And Jacob, the big one on the far left lept into the sink. When that happen he started pooping sparks. IT WAS AWESOME! Unfortunately one of them daggoned sparks landed on my bum. I was always told when you are on fire to Run, Jump and Flail. I had so much fun doing that! While I was doing that though, lots of other things in my kitchen started to burn. I guess next time I should run outside or something. But I sure did enjoy it!

“Look at me. I’m dancing! I’M DANCING!”

Project: Professional
Status: Unused

Little Johnny: I wanna burger mommy!
Mean Mommy: You can’t have one.
Little Johnny: But I’m huuuuuungry.
Mean Mommy: Too bad.

A fine lesson my mother taught me. Sometimes parents just don’t care how much you beg. And, even if you don’t get everything you want, “you’ll live”.

“It was so big I could only eat half! But, I ate it all anyway, because it was awesome!”

Project: Professional
Status: Finished, Published in a Holiday on Ice program advertising the Flying Tortilla restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Pets have personality. Tends to be a lot like a child, but quieter…for the most part…only much cuter.

“Dude, pets are freakin’ awesome!”

Project: Professional
Status: Finished, Printed Letterpress on white.
Notes: A job done at Cisneros Design for an Española Valley Humane Society benefit auction.