Everyday Happiness

I’m never one to turn down good advice--even if comes from spam email.

Take my friend Nicole, who wrote to me--and about 10,000 other guys—the other day.

Aloha, my friend, she writes. Tell me what are you looking for, may be you are looking for me?

Nothing personal, Nicole, but I’m looking for a pile of cash five stories high, a good deli, and an escape from this horrendous winter.

I am cheerful, open, sociable, family-oriented, light-hearted, well-balanced, active, liberal, honest and responsible.

That’s quite a resume. All Nicole needs is to be thrifty, clean and reverent and she can join the Boy Scouts.

Nicole also is “fond of sport,” which is good, seeing as she’s so well-balanced. I wonder what she’s responsible for—or do I want to know?

Besides “sport,” Nicole also enjoys “cooking, growing flowers, playing bowling and listening to music.”

Playing bowling. Nicole just doesn’t bowl; no, she plays it. I wonder if she cooks, grows flowers, and bowls at the same time. Hell, I’d married her in a family-oriented minute.

I like sea and animals. It will be a pleasure for me to cook a romantic dinner for my beloved one.

Sea and animals? Clearly, Nicole’s not one to nitpick. She’ll take anything Mother Nature has to offer and fry it up in a pan.

But I have to give Nicole credit--she did end her email with a line that has got me thinking.

Find some happiness everyday…

Finding happiness has not been one of my strong points. I’m great at finding misery, fear, anger, and all kinds of crap to complain about, but my happiness detector appears to be on the fritz.

It’s been especially tough lately, as I’ve battling health issues and my manic overreaction to those aforementioned issues.

Trouble is My Business

I decided to visit a new doctor in the neighborhood whom my shrink had recommended. I was extremely reluctant because I heard the wait times could be long and I really didn’t feel like hanging around a doctor’s office all day.

But I had Monday off, no place to go, and a desire to try something different. So I went to the guy and I’m very glad I did.

First of all, the wait wasn’t too bad. But more importantly, I was really impressed with this doctor. He told I wasn’t suffering from yet another cold, like I had thought, but allergies.

I instantly felt better upon hearing this news. And I wondered how many times in the past did I convince myself I was sick, when I was actually suffering from allergies.

“Forget about that,” my shrink rightly advised.
The doctor also asked about my eating habits, which to be honest, are terrible, especially for someone who claims to be interested in his health.

I don’t cook at all, electing instead to nuke pre-cooked turkey meatballs, chicken sausage, and similar stuff.

If only Nicole could come over to my house and cook a romantic dinner for her beloved one.

Worse yet, I guzzle diet ice tea and sodas, something that both my doctor and my nutritionist said must stop.

The doctor tells me artificial sweeteners disrupt the kidneys in their efforts to clean out the body.

Obviously I knew this crap was bad for me, but I just pretended I could go on drinking it and suffer no ill effects. And the definition of insanity is…

So I’m cutting down on the diet ice tea and getting back to the 6-8 glasses of water routine. And I’m slowly—very slowly—going to start cooking my meals.

I want to improve me health so I can be cheerful, open, sociable, family-oriented, light-hearted, well-balanced, active, liberal, honest and responsible. I want to enjoy the sea and the animals and play bowling.

And I want to find happiness every day.

Comments

Ron said…
Rob, I freakin' LOVE your responses to Nicole's email. HILARIOUS!

I've gotten some of those spam emails myself, but never from Nicole, so could you send her email address because I'm looking for someone who COOKS!

Hey, I'm so glad to hear you like this new doctor! And you know something? Both my father and brother both suffered from allergies, but never knew it until we moved to Florida and a doctor there tested them. They too were always getting cold-like symptoms, but were actually allergies.

"So I’m cutting down on the diet ice tea and getting back to the 6-8 glasses of water routine. And I’m slowly—very slowly—going to start cooking my meals."

You GO, boy! It's truly amazing how different we feel when we alter our eating and drinking habits. My thing is sweets. I LOVE sweets, so I have to really watch how much I consume. I mainly eat more sweets when I'm at work because I don't keep candy, cookies, etc, in my apartment because if they're there, I'll eat them. Fortunately, I always drink a TON of water everyday, which is why I'm constantly peeing - HA!

I also love coffee, which I've cut back to only two cups a day.

Keeps us posted on how everything works out with this new doctor, okay?

Wishing you MUCH good health and happiness, buddy! And have a super week!

Rob K said…
Hey, Ron, Nicole is all yours!

Great hearing from you, buddy!

Thanks so much for your support. I'll definitely keep you posted on my progress with my doctor!

"It's truly amazing how different we feel when we alter our eating and drinking habits. "

Gosh, I really think you're on to something here, Ron. And hopefully I will be, too!

Didn't you were such a fan of sweets! Good idea to keep them out of the house. Keep drinking water and pee proudly, my friend!

Take care!
Bijoux said…
The allergy thing can really mess you up. And my middle child had some serious issues (heart related) from consuming too many drinks with sucralose...stay away from the diet drinks!

Nicole sounds like a really nice Stepford wife!
Rob K said…
Bijoux, I'm so sorry to hear about your middle child! I hope things improve quickly. That's more inspiration for me to avoid this stuff.

Yes, Nicole is a Stepford kind of gal, but she did give me a good tip.

Take care!
Bijoux said…
The problems went away as soon as we figured out the cause! I had no idea about the connection, but discovered it while googling. You wouldnt believe how many people complained about it!
Rob K said…
I'm glad to hear that, Bijoux! This stuff is pretty scary.
Anonymous said…
It is wise to never knock good advice no matter where it comes from! Finding happiness everyday is my goal as well and maybe we can embark on this journey together. I am not suffering from "health" issues per say but due to my job situation and a few other stresses I am dealing with more than normal amounts of anxiety and it is making it very hard to just be happy. I am glad to know a blogging friend understands the struggle of embracing happiness.
Rob K said…
Hi, Shae, I'd be honored to embark on this journey with you.

The job situation and stress can turn into health issues if we're not careful. Happiness is our right and we often have to step out of own way to achieve it.

So like the old song says, we're gonna walk and not look back!

Take care.
Don't you just love those emails? Nicole sounds like a real find .. but don't kid yourself, it's not just men she writes to. I'm pretty sure I have something from her somewhere, too.

"Sea and animals? Clearly, Nicole’s not one to nitpick. She’ll take anything Mother Nature has to offer and fry it up in a pan."

Hahaha! Yes, that's what I thought when I read that, too, but you put it so well!

I'm glad you found a new doc who is listening properly and is coming up with new thoughts. I am no stranger to allergies but there are times when I fail to recognise when that is the cause and not 'something I ate', 'a virus' or 'overdoing it' (Ha. That's a joke. I hardly have to raise my arm above my head and I've 'overdone it'). Point is, it's easy to get confused on that one, particularly when the symptoms are not severe enough to make you swell like a balloon immediately you have eaten or inhaled something.

Finding happiness every day? Go for it! You know that's something I try to do!
Rob K said…
Hey, Jay, how's it going?

You're so right about the allergies. It so so easy to get confused and from there it's even easier to get crazy--at least it is in my case.

And I hear you on that "overdone it" routine. Sometimes it seems like I overdid it just by getting out of bed in the morning.

Let us search together and find that happiness every day!

Take care.

Popular posts from this blog

Land of Enchantment

Missed Connection

Getting Connected