2013 was the second year in a row that I kept a "good things" jar. (You can see my 2012 post here.) The idea is really simple -- just keep a jar somewhere in your house and whenever something nice happens, write it down with the date and slip it inside. On New Year's Eve, open your jar and you're reminded of all the pleasant things that happened to you that year!
Some of my big highlights from 2013 included adopting Arrietty (actually that was THE highlight of the year. She's amazing!) meeting Steve Carell, going to Disney World twice, meeting Sarah and Polly, getting my apartment and seeing Niagara Falls. I also wrote down a lot of little happy moments like baking cookies with my family last month, decorating my grandmom's christmas tree, when my dad & I surprised my mom with a gag gift of a year's supply of paper towels for her birthday, the first time that both of my cats snuggled up with me and we all fell asleep together, the first time I successfully made a soufflé (and it was delicious!) The little things are the ones I enjoy reading the most because they're usually the ones that slipped my mind. It's pretty hard to forget that you met your favorite actor or that you adopted the sweetest little cat on the planet, you know?
I already started my 2014 jar! If you haven't tried this before I definitely recommend it. I don't know if it really comes across here, but I struggle with being a naturally glass-half-empty sort of person and things like this definitely help me to look on the positive side. At the end of 2012 and 2013 I had jars overflowing with beautiful moments and happy memories. It's really the best way to start a new year with a good attitude and sunny outlook on life :)
ps. I reopened all of my shops yesterday if there's anyone out there who wanted to know that information.
