52 Lists for Happiness Project week 27.

This week is all about core values and beliefs. The timing for this list really hits the mark. My core values and beliefs have been bubbling under the surface for a while. I have finally grown tired of keep my mouth shut for fear of offending someone or starting a sh*t storm on social media. I am tired of keeping quiet about things that I believe in and getting spoon fed rhetoric from liberals and conservatives alike. I do not fit in either of those categories and I am tired of feeling bullied by both to "pick a side". Both sides are terrible and I am not playing these reindeer games anymore. I have the things I believe in and the values I hold in my heart and that is what I want to focus on.

1. Leave No trace! Yes it is the boy scout motto but it is much more than that. Don't litter. Clean up after yourself and if needed clean up after the jerk who trashed your favorite park, trail or campsite.
2. You are what you eat. For real. If you eat like garbage, you feel like garbage. If you eat light, you feel light. If you eat clean, your digestive system, skin, hair and eyes show it. Recently my husband got his cholesterol back and it was high. We eat pretty good but he is on the road a lot and doesn't get to make great decisions and it is showing now. He is a firm believer in eastern medicine (basically natural remedies) so we are eating cleaner than ever.
3. Less is more. It really is. I have started the minimalist 30 day challenge. So far only on day 3 so it is still easy. My husband managed to do day one, then the snow hit...looks like he will be buying me dinner in 30 days. Basically you declutter your life in 30 days. The first day you get rid of one, the second 2...you get the idea. It gets a lot harder. Everything counts though. Returning borrowed items, cleaning out files (this will come in handy toward the higher number days) clothes, shoes, toys. I did a big purge last year but there is still more. This is the push I need to reclaim my house, my space and my sanity. If you are interested in more, check out the minimalists here.
4. Don't judge a book by its cover. Some of the best, smartest and most gracious people I know had blue mohawks, shaved heads and tattoos. Some were also the nerdiest, most awkward individuals you would ever meet. I have rich, poor, smart, disabled, quirky, uptight, LGBT, large and small, short and tall, dark and light friends in my life and if I was a judgemental person I would not have had even half the life experiences I have had that came from never being afraid to talk to someone, anyone who crossed my path.
5. Work hard, pay your dues. Nothing comes for free and you sure do not appreciate it as much as you would if you have not had put in time and effort.

You probably have noticed I have been watching a whole lot of documentaries on Netflix. I am not going to lie that some of them (most of them) that I watched recently just cemented my beliefs. I have also learned so much about the world we live in and how fragile it all is. I may not be able to change the world but I can change my world. Doing so is making me feel lighter, sleep better and generally like I am doing my part.