3 Cheerful Eco-Friendly Tips to Brighten the Darkest Days of the Year

1. Purchase live trees, flowers, and plants instead of cut varieties

Beautiful bouquets of flowers are hard to resist, especially in winter when it seems so little is blooming. But, there are a variety of winter-blooming favorites that would be happy in your home, either year-round or temporarily. Three that come to mind are cyclamen, Christmas cactus, and, if you like to have a tree up at this time of year, a live, native tree that you can plant in the spring (or return to the store for them to plant).
 
Why it’s Eco-friendly: live plants sequester carbon, purchasing locally-available varieties reduces fuel consumption for transport, supports local economies

2. Bring your own containers to the grocery store

We are all familiar with the “Bring your own reusable bag” movement, but you can bring your own containers too! If your grocery store has a bulk section, bring in those tupperware, old yogurt containers, or whatever else you have on hand and fill those babies up! Be sure the containers are clean and try not to touch the scoop to the container – a watchful attendant will appreciate your attention to public health. Then, just write the code on the tags they make available, snap it between the lid of the container and the container itself, and you’re good to go. Easy!

Why it’s Eco-friendly: reduces the consumption of packaging materials, fewer plastic bags are used for bulk items, reduces food waste because you can buy as much or as little as you want, encourages the market for bulk buying (reinforcing the previous three points)

Seattle stores with bulk areas: I especially like the Ballard Fred Meyer and Uptown Metropolitan Market.

Bonus tip: If you want to save a few extra pennies, weigh your container and write down the weight on the tag so the cashier can subtract it from your purchase. I find that a larger plastic container such as the 64 oz. tub of Nancy’s yogurt weights about 1/8 lb. (0.125 lbs).

3. If driving, get warm and cozy in the car before starting your trip

With chilly weather the norm these days, a toasty car always brightens my spirits. I love to sit there as the car warms up: shoulders hunched, hands snugly ensconced in mittens, radio on, shivering a bit as the car’s engine moves from a somewhat-noisy rattle to a low, purring hum. Once I hear that hum, both my car and I are warm and ready to go!

Ten Tips To Make Yourself Cheerful

Human life is the greatest gift of God. We have been created on this earth to live happily. Happiness comes by sharing with others. It is the greatest bliss. Bliss is the happiness beyond the senses, beyond laughter, or merriment.

All the human beings are destined to be happy. We have to live happily and make others happy. A happy and harmonious life is the purpose of our existence. We have to take some efforts to make our lives happy and cheerful. Cheerfulness keeps up the spirit of the one who possesses happiness and brings a smile to the lips of others.

 Here are ten tips to keep you cheerful

1) A fresh get up
“Well begun is half done” Begin your day with a cheerful mood. Get up with a smile on your face and saying the words, “Good morning, Lord!” on your lips. Have a trustful feeling in your heart that it is going to be a cheerful day for you. This starting attitude adds a new dimension to your life.

2) See that your face always wears a smile
A smile can make short work of any difficulty. When you smile, not only do you feel happy but you bring a ray of light into the lives of others. Smile is like a drop of water in a desert. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You are not completely dressed until your face wears a smile!” there is a saying that if you wear smile you will have friends and if you wear a scowl you will have wrinkles.

3) A smile is infectious
A smile is mirrored in the face of the one you smile at. Therefore, whatever you do, keep on smiling. Always be careful that your smile announces sweetness and goodness and never betrays sarcasm, bitterness or pride.

4) Laugh heartily at least thrice a day
Make it a point that you laugh at least three times a day—before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner. If you find it difficult to laugh, look into the mirror and make funny faces. I have seen a happy family following this principle that only after laugh they begin to eat.

5) Develop a healthy sense of humor
The Japanese Professor Yoji Kimura believes that laughter is a weapon that in healthy doses can end all the problems of the war that lead to wars. Hence we have to develop the habit of laughing. He says further that laughter is developed in four emotional stages—letting loose, then deviating from the norm, followed by free laughing and laughter in overflow. It can be attained by practice.

6) Learn to laugh at yourself
We often laugh at the weaknesses and oddities of others but not at our own. We must learn to laugh at ourselves. The person who can laugh at himself is a delight to be with. He applies the most soothing balm to his ills and errors.

7) Always look at the bright side of things
There is a saying that two men looked out of bars; one saw the mud and the other saw the stars. Pessimistic view brings only despair and dejection. Looking at the bright side brings success.

 8) Trust in God
To forget your troubles remember God. When all your attachments are with God, then your achievements are many. Be aware that if there is no filament in a bulb there is no light, and so if God is not in your life there is no life at all. God is in charge of the whole universe and He is the Controller of everything. In our life we may not be able to understand the “why” of many things. Sudden deaths, natural calamities, unexpected losses, etc. may upset you. But faith I God gives courage.

9) Be in the driver’s seat
Co not let any one else drive you. Be our own maser. There are so many people who do things to you and you feel hurt or insulted. By doing so, you merely let them drive you. Whatever may happen, you must be on the driver’s seat and nothing should upset you.

10) Make others happy
Happiness comes by sharing. It is reciprocal. The happiness that goes out to others comes back to you. Remember that shared happiness is always double. Therefore do good deeds to others and make them happy.

Difficulties and disappointments melt away before a man who is cheerful. As the famous Psychologist Deepak Chopra says, “happiness is usually situational and can be learnt,” let us learn to be cheerful and make the world happy.