Wow, talk about a trifecta! Today (March 3) marks the day we celebrate happiness with National I Want You To Be Happy Day, National Cold Cuts Day and National Mulled Wine Day.

I hope that's our wish for all of our fellow humans: to just be happy. Many of my friends get happy with a big plate of cold cuts or a big mug of mulled wine, so today is an especially great day for them.

Not being a particular fan of cold cuts, I will tip my hat to smoked turkey and honey ham. But please keep olive loaf and head cheese far from me!

Mulled wine is a favorite of mine, especially during Lubbock's recent cold days and nights. This type of wine combines heated red wine, orange zest, spices and apple cider. I usually skip the apple cider, though.

So many times we hear the phrase, 'It's the little things.' But you know it's actually true. We hustle and bustle through our lives, deifying 'busy' and living in a blur of activity.

Did you realize that it's OK to slow down a little? It's OK to watch a sunrise and enjoy a cup of coffee. It's alright to dance around your house once in a while. It's also absolutely fine to sleep late when you can.

(Gasp! Say it isn't so! But I won't be as busy! Exactly.)

So grab a plate of great cold cuts, fruit and cheese. Heat up some mulled wine and enjoy your loved ones. Be content with where you are. This is so hard for me as I'm always looking forward so eagerly and earnestly that I miss many present moments.

One great thing about the recent snow and ice? It's caused a lot of us to slow down in so many senses of the word. It's amazing what you notice when you're not traveling at break-neck speeds.

And most of all - and I don't care if it sounds cliché - I want you to be happy.

Life is a blip on the radar and it's too short not to be striving for happiness every moment. My husband and I were talking this morning about our mood lately. Like most, there is just so much to stress over. Life always finds a way to present ample opportunities to worry, labor, stress and strain. Sometimes it's much more than others.

Lately, we have had such circumstances, piled on top of the everyday stuff. We were talking and acknowledged that we both were just in a funk. We are borderline depressed about so much.

Well, I tell you, reading these silly things being commemorated today did work to relieve some of the pressure, reminding me that, at the core of it all, to keep it simple. All this stuff is just that -- stuff.

Like my dad always told me: 'Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.' Don't let it rob precious moments of your day that you simply won't get back.

Did you make it out the door this morning without spilling coffee on the floor or your shirt?  Did you make to work or school on time? Did you see a child smile or hear them laugh today? Do you have people who love you? Do you get to do something you love for a living? Have you had illness or surgery and come through it?

Be thankful. It's just that simple.

Thankfulness and gratitude work wonders to relieve stress and depression and it's a great reminder to me. The slope into the abyss of sadness, anger, depression and such is a slippery one.  efore you know it, you are in the valley looking up at a steep way out.  The steps out are thankfulness and gratefulness. Let's take them together. Our lives really do depend on it.

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