100 Happy Days

Every so often, I become a little philosophical and I just happened to have one of those moments today. 

Several days ago, I searched up job postings for audiologists in Canada to get a more realistic perspective on their salaries across different cities/provinces and I came across a job offer from the government of Nunavut, community of Iqaluit. Aside from the very generous annual salary of $94K and an additional allowance of $15K (omg, $$$$), I was also very tempted by the idea of living in a native community. 

I mentioned this position to someone afterwards and her immediate response was: "Who would want to move to Nunavut??"

At that moment, a little voice in my head said, "....I wouldn't mind?" 

Oh gosh, I must be one abnormal human being. 

Anyways, just today, a friend told me about the 100 Happy Days challenge where  for 100 consecutive days, contestants document one moment in their lives that had made them happy. Unfortunately, 71% of the people who had attempted the challenge had failed. The most common reason is that they simply did not have time to be happy. 

This leads me to wonder, what makes one happy? How much time does it take to make one content? 

I know that this would vary between people and that some individuals have great ambitions in life that would require much energy and effort to achieve. However, it is sad to think that for 71% of the contestants, there was a day where they could not find a single moment to do something that they enjoy. 

I think that is why the idea of reverting back to a more simple and less materialistic lifestyle appeals to me. Although I probably would not move to Nunavut for a job, I would still like to pursue a more "native-like" lifestyle/mentality where one has less focus on reaping profit from others and less of an urge to accumulate wealth. In that way, it would be easier for us to appreciate what we already have and gain more happiness from the little things that were always there, but sometimes overlooked, in life. 

With that said, I have just registered for the 100 Happy Days challenge with the goal of consciously making myself a happier person for the next 100 days. I'm sure it will be harder said than done but hopefully, it will be a small step in appreciating the life that I have. 

For this challenge, contestants are to submit a picture (everyday, for 100 consecutive days) of what made them happy. Upon completion, a personalized book would be sent to each contestant with their 100 happy moments to serve as a reminder of the things that they enjoy and value in life. 

I will be posting some of the pictures below as a way of documenting and reflecting upon this three months challenge ^^.

Well, ready, set, SMILE!

New Plant Obsession

I have always enjoyed being outdoors and have always had a deep appreciation for nature. However, because I was preoccupied with school for the last....umm, 18 years of my life, I never felt that I would have the time to take care of houseplants. This was further complicated by my irrational fear of insects which has actually significantly improved as I grew older. I still can't bare to touch or kill bugs but at least I won't run away in fear, haha.

But....recently, I have discovered the joys of making terrariums! If you do not know what terrariums are, then I'll raise a simple analogy: Terrariums are to plants as aquariums are to fishes. Basically, terrariums are enclosed spaces, mostly glass containers, where plants are grown and displayed.

The great thing about terrariums is that since the plants are usually grown inside a glass container, then you only need to open the lid for watering so even if the plants need to be grown in moist soil, insects have less accessibility to breed in the soil. Furthermore, some plants grow best in high humidity so potting the plant in a glass container would allow you to maintain a warm humid environment within the terrarium - no need to crank up the humidity in your entire room.

The most important factor is that terrariums make incredibly beautiful displays. I put my terrariums and plants on a shelf next to my window and when I wake up to see the rays of sunlight seep between the contours of my plants, it puts me in such a great mood that the rest of my day feels much smoother. In the past, I did appreciate the beauty of nature but I never realized how relaxing it was to just look at plants until I began growing them in my room.

Without further ado, I'll share a few pictures of my terrariums and plants below:

A little baby jade sprouted out!