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The Thrill is in the Hunt #crackingmyselfupagain #happinessisachoice #iamresponsibleformyhappiness #mygirlfriendvoice #thriftshopping advice & strategies being present catch you on the flip side good buddy! mindset matters the happy truck triggers & the inner critic

The Thrill is in the Hunt

I love to shop at thrift stores, garage sales and consignment stores for clothing and home furnishings. I know what I don’t want and I’ll know what I want when I see it. Makes sense, right? Lucky me, it was half price day at one of my favorites stores.

There it was, calling to me, from the “ART” section.

Twilight in the desert

A lonely stretch of road; illuminated by a single vehicle

A Kenmore Mack truck lights up the barren sky

“Breaker-breaker, good buddy! Do ya copy?”

Yes, I bought a painting of an 18 wheeler! The best part is that when you plug in this delicious canvas, light shines out of twenty punched holes filled with yellow and red Christmas lights. My Mack truck lights up the desert night sky like beacon of hope! Bingo. I hit the mother lode for $11.25.

In reference to my living room, I could wait until I find a respectable or even inspirational piece of art to fill the space above my fireplace or I can hang something that makes me happy right now. How often do I/you search for SOMETHING to fill a space, discarding viable options, when there is something right in front of me/us that makes perfect sense?

I had found THE HAPPY TRUCK and it was meant to adorn my wall.

There were years when I was looking for happiness. I wanted to unload the “UN-happy”. I needed a fix.

It was much easier to push the blame outwardly than to dive inwardly and take responsibility for my situation. “If you only did this or stopped doing this, I would be happier.” NOT. Luckily I woke up and decided that something had to change. I stepped into the truth and started to look at ME.

I was the one that needed to change.

Slowly and often painfully, I looked at MY actions — the only thing I have control over. I didn’t like most of what I saw in there. The truth hurts but I needed to make an inventory. I made changes where I could, baby steps, until I felt grounded. It took a few years to believe that I was responsible for my own happiness and then a few more years to put my new perspective into practice and leap into a new life.

I define my happiness.

My happiness is not dependent on you.

I am responsible for my own happiness.

Happiness is not an all or nothing situation. For instance, I am quite happy sitting under my blanket despite that I have been sick since Tuesday with a monstrous cold. I am happy the white load got washed and put away even though I have two more loads to go. I am happy that my Frig is clean even though it means eggs for dinner (again!) or a trip to the store later.

I grab at happiness, drape it over me and let the other stuff go.

Someday I’d like to create a piece of art to hang on the hearth but there is no excuse for not enjoying what I have today.

“Catch you on the flip side and...

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