Taste Life Blog

I miss him. I miss Grandpa Howard a lot. This will be our second Christmas season without him. I miss his quiet wisdom. He usually sat in his comfy blue leather recliner or at the kitchen table. He was pretty quiet, but was listening and observing and when he did talk, he was full of quiet wisdom. I miss watching his hands. (I never told that to anyone before.) Gifted, he could make anything out of wood, fix anything and create anything. And I mean anything. With the help of his creative equally gifted wife Ady they would do anything. I miss watching him mentor and help Danielle and Brett on their many projects while being a role model for living a life of honesty, integrity and good work. Howard and I had a good relationship. We talked about many things. As a manager for grocery stores, we had the food thing in common.

I am grateful I spent time with him but not enough time.  Regrets yes. I did not go home to Green Bay enough. Why? Cause I was “crazy busy.” We used to be busy but now with the ability to be “on 24/7” we are crazy busy.

Ed Diener, aka “Dr. Happiness”, is a leading researcher in positive psychology. His 25 years of studies have discovered that strong social relationships are your number one predictor of happiness. Close relationships can act as medicine. Study after study has shown that relationships and social support are crucial and can even influence cancer and heart disease. It makes sense. We are social human beings so in order to live a whole healthy life we need to be connected to community

Research on widows and divorced people shows substantial declines in well-being right before and after the loss of a significant other. People may understand that close friends are related to their happiness they do not realize they are NECESSARY for happiness as well as for optimal health. Many people focus on wealth when they pursue happiness, but research suggests that social relationships are more important than material prosperity. It is a mistake to value money over social relationships.*

The holidays are the perfect season to boost your happiness and the happiness of others. Could you give a better holiday gift than your time and energy to the ones you love and care about? Three gifts that don’t cost a cent.

The Gift of Empathy

Empathy is simple…two words… respectful understanding.  Is there a better gift than being understood? It has been said, “To judge is to not love!” Give up judgment and knowing what is best for your family and friends…unless they ask.

The Gift of Positive Energy

Are you an energy drain for people; a giant warning of who not to be or a shining example and energy charge? What you focus on gets bigger and bolder. Focus on abundance and give it to your friends and family.

The Gift of Listening

Be in the present and really listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning what you are going to say. Just listening. And don’t forget to listen for what is not being said.

Relationships are an investment of your time and energy so you need to invest wisely. Life is a string of moments which become days and the days become months. And before we know it another year of “crazy busy” has passed. What will it take to help you decide to value social relationships over money?  Your heart knows the answer. Your friends and family are silently waiting.

I wish for you, my dear Taste Life reader, abundant happiness this holiday season. Remember life is a gift but you can’t be too busy to open it. I  can’t wait to hear how you gift people your presence this holiday season on our blog

 *Source: The Nonobvious Social Psychology of Happiness, Ed Diener University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Gallup Organization and Shigehiro Oishi University of Virginia