You might remember me mentioning that I started a happiness project called “100 Happy Days” back on my birthday in May. The challenge was to take a photo every day for 100 days in a row of something that—DUH—made me happy that day.
I posted at least one picture (sometimes more) every day on my Instagram with the hashtag #100happydays and lo and behold, 100 days later I had this wonderful visual collection of things that made me happy or sparked a happy memory. Some days were more of a challenge than others, but then I’d walk around my house or my yard and find something that made me smile—a book, a flower, a picture. The daily photo became so much of a habit that I really missed the routine for the first few days after the project ended! (I quickly realized I can always take and post photos of things that make me happy!)
So what to do with these 100 images? Inspired by a great discount from a photo printing site called Mpix, I decided to make a photo book. Well, two photo books actually, since each had a 50 page maximum. That way, I could flip through any time I wanted for a happiness boost.
It took a couple of days for me to gather the photos, upload them and design each page with backgrounds, borders, text. Although I was tempted to slap it together quickly and get it done, I challenged myself to slow down and make sure each page was exactly the way I wanted it. This past Tuesday night just after seven o’clock, I hit the button to place the order.
It’s now Thursday afternoon—less than 48 hours later—and I m sitting here with these two glorious 8″ x 8″ books in my hand! The print quality is gorgeous—even with mostly iPhone photos—and I’m blown away by how quickly the turn-around was. The best part is that I’ve got this beautiful, personal record of a wonderful summer by the beach with my family, which will give me lots of cheer on down days or when I’m missing my college boys or when snow is piling up outside my window.
I highly recommend the 100 Happy Days project. It takes a little discipline, but it’s truly the best birthday gift I could ever give to myself.