Don't worry, be happy

I came across this article last night written by a lady on a quest to pick herself up out of her bad mood and find happiness in everyday life. The source of that spark of happiness came from a neighborhood potbellied pig who at the time of their encounter was joyously running around in the rain (for some context part of the source of this lady's slump/bad mood was that it had been raining everyday for the past 2 months).

Essentially the nature of the article is how to train yourself to be happy. Scientifically speaking, humans evolved during a time when we were hardwired to remember (and learn to avoid) fearful or unpleasant episodes. Obviously, forgetting all of the good times and just remembering everything terrible that's happened to you isn't good, turns you into a Scrooge. By consciously making an effort to acknowledge things that make you smile right when they're happening and remembering these bits of happiness later, you will help train your brain to overall be happier in general. Now I know that at times I can certainly be a Crabby Patty, so I think this will be good to start trying. It's very easy, especially nowadays, to get wrapped up in the stress that comes with school/work/relationships/etc. I'm going through one of those funks right now, where I have to shake off the post-holiday laziness and get back to business (all the while fighting off the homesickness that seems to be creeping up on me).

If you are having trouble recalling any happy images, especially because it's Monday, here are a few to get you started (and yes, I horde cute animal pictures):

via thechive.com 

via tumblr 

via pinterest

via the chive

via pinterest

Friday Feel Goods

Wild sperm whales adopt dolphin with crooked spine via

Inspired by the picture above, which seriously warmed my heart yesterday, I've decided to draw everybody's attention to the following awesome animal pairings. Here's a taste of some interspecies friendships to put a smile on your face (all courtesy of NBCnews.com)

Takes his dog out on walks. 

Male tortoise has adopted a baby hippo. 

Monkeys love their puppies as much as I do!

Some serious interspecies lovin. 

You can share my pouch any day!

Dolphin and seal have been bff since they were 2 months old. 

Those faces...

Seriously, why can't humans get along this well?!

On Why I'm Dying

I almost bought a fish the other night. That's how desperate I am for a pet. I also literally sat staring and gushing over the parakeets in Petsmart that same evening (how can you not love those little birds, especially after seeing one hold onto the tail of another as it was trying to fly?!). I'm an animal lover plain and simple, and I've never felt so deprived in my life.

I've become that weird person that has to run up to every dog I see (always making sure I ask the owner's permission of course) just so I can get my fix. Yes, my fix. The animal fix. I even get excited when I see a squirrel nowadays. Just not a lot of nature where I am. Of course I could be a good samaritan and volunteer at the animal shelter... for $25. You have to pay to volunteer. WTF.

Allie girl <3

Don't even get me started on horses. Seeing a picture can get me all misty eyed. I'm not even that great of a rider, but damn do I love me some horses. It pains me that I'm never around them as much as I could be (my friend and I missed our orientation for a therapeutic horse riding place last weekend due to our overindulgence in alcoholic beverages the night before :/ ).

So this is what my life has become. I'm so pet deprived that I almost bought a fish. At the same time, I semi-can't bring myself to do it. They're just so insubstantial. But beggars can't be chosers, and my plant just isn't really cutting it...