I’m sitting here with a kitten sleeping on my lap, 2 sleeping by my side, and 2 more playing at my feet. It’s a beautiful sunny day and birds are singing outside. I have a wonderful hoos-band who loves me as much as I love him. The world is filled with life and happiness and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

I like to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
I like to stand in the wind and feel the pull of the horizon.
I like to watch bumblebees gather pollen from wildflowers.
I like to feel sweat trickle down my temples as I push myself to run even faster.
I like to discover secrets that hide around the bends of mountain trails.
I like to make babies smile.
I like the smell of lilacs.
I like the sound of rain.

I like the color of the eastern sky at sunset.
I like Hershey’s chocolate.
I like the way it feels to walk barefoot in cool grass.
I like drums.
I like to wash my hair in ice cold river water.
I like to hold kittens.
I like to hear eagles scream.
I like to wear dresses on Sunday.
I like to sleep under the stars.
I like to rollerblade.
I like to laugh until tears come.
I like to sit around a campfire and watch for shooting stars.
What do you like?

I just got back from running. I had a wonderful time. It was the best run I’ve had in quite awhile. I decided to not think about how fast I was going or how far I would get. I just let myself fall into a rythm that felt good. I let my muscles do what they wanted to do and I let my mind go where it wanted to go. I found myself gazing up at the beautiful mountains. I breathed in the cool air that wafted down over their slopes and felt it move through my hair. I watched the clouds move across the sky and it felt as though my legs were doing exactly what they were built to do. It was as though they had a mind of their own and they knew exactly what to do without any help from me. It was awesome.

Life isn’t always perfect. We get out of bed each day and stuff happens. We get our feelings hurt, we trip over loose objects and bang our shins, we lose jobs, we lose friends. I believe however that happiness is a choice. We can decide to be happy no matter what. We can teach ourselves to allow life’s trials to make us stronger rather than angrier. We can literally train our minds to be at peace with the world no matter how hard things get.

I named this painting Life is Good because I truly believe that it is. It’s not easy, it’s not always fun, it’s not always what we had planned, but it is good.