E: Day 22

One of my study breaks was yoga.  View from camel pose.

E: Day 21

Material things do nothing for me but my parents were excited to give me these presents. The purse is probably getting returned but I do like the watch.

E: Day 20

Birthdays remind me to appreciate the things that everyone has done for me :)

E: Day 19

2.14.15 Glen Hansard at Pabst Theater.  Music = true love :)

E: Day 18

Books. Enough said.

E: Day 17

Disabled chat in my gmail today.  I haven't been using it for a while and I'm always invisible anyway so I decided to give this a try.  I'm not sure how it'll work or if it's better to just sign out of it instead but I'll see how it goes. I would like to focus on more intentional communication where I give the other person my whole attention, instead of a constant background thing.

A: Day 22

This speaks for itself :)

A: Day 21

I love math and logic puzzles. I heard this one at Yuvati Kendra last night and specifically requested the answer not be shared until next week so I could have time to work on it! Any ideas? :)

E: Day 16

I tried donating blood today and got rejected for low iron.  Even though I failed, it feels good to try and help people...to think that something so simple that we take for granted can make it to people who desperately need it.  I'll try again soon.

A: Day 20

We used the materials I got through the DonorsChoose website for the first time today, and the kids were sooo happy and excited, which made me happy! :D And surprisingly they were very careful with the materials, which is hard for 6-year-olds, I was impressed.

A: Day 19

I spent all morning Monday prepping food for the week and I've been eating good food all week. This sandwich has a white bean basil spread I made.

E: Day 15

I'm really good at adapting to change when the need arises but not until I've resisted it as much as I can. One of the things I want to improve about myself is to welcome change rather than just learn to accept it, whether it's something I've chosen or out of my control.  And as with everything, it all starts with your thoughts. I like to leave myself reminders of the qualities I want to posses.

A: Day 18

I haven't seen my mom in 2 weeks and I missed her <3 Doing some couch snuggling (aka me leaning on her) while we watch Bollywood YouTube videos.

E: Day 14

I'm getting super excited about our Asia vacation! I love exploring and discovering new places.  And even more than that, I love going back to the same places and seeing new things every time.

(I am shopping for a new swimsuit, this is one of the contenders but it's on Amazon. I don't know how I feel about buying it without being able to try it on. But so cute!)

A: Day 17

While this might not be my obvious happiness post for Friday, I wanted to use something that's more dependable/longer-lasting. :) Playing board games makes me happy, especially when it's a meaningful way to bond with new people. I haven't played this game in so long, and Ashley and I won! Also I haven't spent a lot of time with my coworkers who I played with and they're all very fun!

A: Day 16

This picture is awful quality, but my phone is hopeless when it comes to nighttime photography. I had a science training meeting at a nature museum at Lincoln Park, this is a view of the city from near there. While Chicago definitely makes me happy, what made me happy about this view was that Ashley was super excited to show it to me. We're going to go back when it's warmer because the whole skyline reflects in the pond when it's not frozen over. I'm really glad I work with her, she makes me happy!

A: Day 15

Every Wednesday, especially during a busy week, I feel like going to Yuvati Kendra is inconvenient: it's so late and my day will be so long. But every Wednesday, when I'm driving home at 9:30, I'm filled with satisfaction and inspiration. Yuvati Kendra re-energizes me, reminds me how to walk on the path to true happiness, and puts life in perspective. This is a picture of the activity we did today. Our scriptures are vast in quantity, complex in quality, and many parts are seemingly inaccessible due to language. We're making our own "mini scripture" with quotes to remind us how awesome the literature of our culture is!

A: Day 14!!

I am SO EXCITED!!!! :D Having someone you've actually only met once more than 10 years ago be one of your closest friends is an amazing and happy feeling!

E: Day 13

Cooking is another form of art that I truly enjoy :) can't wait to try these tomorrow.

A: Day 13

Usually when someone is going through a hard time, I struggle to know what to do to comfort them. But I never feel that uncertainty with my family, I know without a doubt that being there for them is enough. They fill me with so much love <3

E: Day 12

Sent in my broken ipod for repair and just got it back. Here's to hoping it works so I can always have music available to me to put into words those feelings you can't make sense of any other way. It is by far my favorite art form and my biggest comfort in life.

A: Day 12

Today I really had to think to find some post-worthy happiness in my day. I went to the Mexican grocery store where we get our produce without a list or a plan. seeing so many different varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables always inspires me to cook more and eat healthier, I'm happy that food is something important to me. (Picture struggles again, this is a picture from my last round of cooking inspiration.)

E: Day 11

So much joy when this little one smiles

A: Day 11

Sharing my joy with people I love and having them reciprocate makes me happy :D

E: Day 10

After a long week, it feels great to work from home. I feel like I get a lot done AND I get to indulge. This is the delicious breakfast I made for myself.  The berries were so sweet and yummy.

A: Day 10

Justine came over for dinner on Friday and we haven't seen each other in over a month and it was the greatest ever! As usual, I forgot to take a selfie with her, and this is the only picture I have of us together that I can find. She makes me happy in so many ways, but if I have to pick one I would say that it feels liberating to spend time with someone who is so comfortable in their own skin. I've never met anyone who is so accepting of themselves and everyone around them.

A: Day 9

During the 2nd quarter, the Bulls gained a lot of momentum. The excitement that filled the stadium is my happy moment for today. While the players' amazing skills definitely makes watching them play really fun, I also love watching them because their focus and drive in what they do is so evident.

E: Day 9

Making a bears onesie for my baby! Unfortunately this failed and I have to figure out how to fix it but it was still fun :)

A: Day 8

There is a social stigma around openly expressing your love for God. You think people will view you as illogical, unintellectual, or even brainwashed. I've always had a logical and practical understanding of God, one of my spiritual goals this past year has been to increase my emotional understanding of God by beginning to see God's love for me. Since I've started going to Yuvati Kendra at UIC, I've gotten to know three girls better who have a profound, open, and inspiring love for God. I borrow this book of poems by a Muslim music scholar from one of them.

E: Day 8

Made myself a fancy meal...bean and sweet potato enchiladas with pumpkin sauce. Delicious.

A: Day 7

One of my students made this poster at home over the weekend and brought it in! She did this completely on her own with no prompting from anyone (we only talked about him a little bit in class), it was adorable. While she definitely makes me happy, my happiness post today is about how sometimes my students can be profoundly perceptive in their own unique ways. Most of the times I feel like they literally remember nothing that I say, but sometimes even the spaciest of them will say or do something incredibly thoughtful.

E: Day 7

A fun mid-week dinner with the parental units

A: Day 6

Okay, I'm not using my own picture, which isn't ideal, but my happiness of the day can't be clearly represented through my own picture. I was watching Jane the Virgin, which I love for its creativity and humor, when they very surprisingly and blatantly commented on immigration reform (the show is narrated as it's a parody of a Spanish telenovela). The world has a lot of issues and no one person can solve them, and even when we try a lot of factors are out of our control. What makes me happy is that people care to make their voice heard and use what they have to do what they can. Apathy is dangerous and disheartening and it's refreshing to see mainstream TV take a stand. (P.S. look up medical repatriation)

E: Day 6

It was a good day at work. We had a new product launch and got to try these new flavors on different foods.

A: Day 5

Today's happiness is an extension of yesterday's sunshine. Nature makes me happy. Today was the perfect beach day, even though we couldn't swim, this beach was part of a state park (called Honeymoon Island :) ) and it was sunny, blue skies, 70°, and the sand was covered in all sorts of shells. There were no crowds so the beach was calm and peaceful and we could hear the waves.

E: Day 5

Solitude, reflection, football and all those things that make bad days better.

A: Day 4.5

This post was inevitable, warm sunshine makes me SO HAPPY! There were too many pictures to choose from, but I've taken every opportunity to be in the sun today (including eating chocolate sorbet!!  on a sun-baked bench). Being outdoors, active, and in sunlight are proven to be renewing for everyone, and for true happiness we need constant renewal!

A: Day 4

I missed a day so I'll do two today to make up for it. I should have saved this picture, but Baa makes me so happy. She's reading the Mahabharat and stopping every page to tell me the complicated twisting back story to the part she has just read (most of which I already know, courtesy of her). She's so full of knowledge and love, and of course her aashirvaad for me these days is "saaru ghar male" (get married to a good person). <3

E: Day 4

I love sunny, productive Saturday mornings at my apartment. Got a lot done, including hanging up my new frames!

E: Day 3

The gym was closed today so I decided to go shopping at Target. I really needed new jeans, which I didnt find, but I walked away with a couple new sweaters. The experience reaffirmed the fact that I greatly dislike shopping, which makes me happy. I'm also grateful that I have a personal shopper so I don't have to deal with this on a regular basis.

A: Day 3

I'm sure you can already guess the happiest part of my day, seeing V :) I meant to take a selfie with her to post here but remembered as soon as she left. V keeps me young, she helps me laugh without abandon and let go of at least some of my many inhibitions. My goofiest side comes out with her. Here's to being forever young at heart <3

E: Day 2

The best part of today was food. Someone at work brought in these red velvet doughnuts from Bennison's bakery. Paired with black coffee, these were delicious.

A: Day 2

While showering in the winter is always a chore, my apartment offers small comforts. This small radiator always keeps the bathroom toasty so I'm not shivering when I get out. But my favorite part about the radiator is that I always put my clothes on it and when I wear them they have that fresh-out-of-the-dryer feel that always leaves me sighing in satisfaction.

E: Day 1

I was having trouble staying awake at my desk so I went to work on the treadmill desk on my floor.  So nice to work somewhere that has these facilities and where I have the flexibility to use it.

A: Day 1

Classroom life sometimes feel like running on a hamster wheel, no matter how fast you run there's always more ground to cover. So today, when I could have been doing 50 other things I decided to take time to organize art supplies. And by organize I mean meticulously sort by color. Instead of admonishing myself for wasting time, I'm trying to relish in the sense of satisfaction something so simple can bring me. After organizing these pencils I could have easily enjoyed playing around with the heights to create a more detailed artistic display. These pencils were a nice reminder of my love for art, color, and categorizing.