Interdisciplinary Psychology:

Positive Psychology

Activity 4 “A Beautiful Day”

Lisa Wilson

            In order to complete my activity for a beautiful day by today, I had to do it during the week which was not my preference because I would like to have started my day off by sleeping in and not having to go to work.  However, with that being said, I decided to have a positive attitude and make it work.  I started off by dressing in something pretty for work.  Generally I wear pants to work but on this day I thought I would begin my “beautiful day” by wearing something more feminine and beautiful, so I put on a skirt.  It worked.  I felt good and looked forward to my day at the office. 

The field trip to the EMP was a great experience for me. Although the museum was enjoyable, spending time with and getting to know the other people in our class was the best part.

Every day at work I enjoy looking at a picture of my sons standing in front of the guitar sculpture from a trip to the museum 4 years ago. The last time I visited the EMP the Hendrix exhibit was there and I was disappointed that I was unable to view it again.  Examining the exhibits and watching people experience the museum was a relaxing way to spend the day. I spent much of my time in the museum by myself. This was great because I could linger in the different areas for as long as I pleased…or pass by something if I felt like it. The other positive aspect of hanging by myself was I could be silent and reflect on my own feelings about what I was observing and feeling. I found the American Sabor exhibit enlightening. What I noticed in the short films was the sense of community surrounding music in the Latino culture. Music in the Latino world consisted of happy times when bringing their community together with dance and food. I spent time outside examining the EMP building itself. I recall the last time I visited the museum the weather was overcast. This time the sun was out and I was able to really appreciate its artistic beauty. I love anything glittery or shiny, what can I say?

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            Step one; sleep in. Step two; hit the gym. Step three; eat authentic fatty French food for breakfast. Step four; procure fine steak, wine, and a set of Bose headphones for the evening. Step five clean house.  Step six: enjoy. When I set out to do our “Beautiful Day” activity the first thing I did was to think about all the simple (easily obtained) things in life I enjoy the most. I decided I would make a list of my favorite things / activities and then build my beautiful day around what I came up with.

    I began my “Beautiful Day” by waking up to my internal clock, not to an alarm. It’s always nicer to feel like you are in control and have the final say of when to get up and that there is no where you have to be. I then had some great coffee hat my boyfriend had so lovingly prepared before he left for work. I start every morning with coffee. It is a ritual that while addictive, I also find ceremonial and I really enjoy. It’s especially nice to linger over coffee in the morning when you don’t have to hurry. You can really savor and enjoy it. I than cooked a nice, healthy breakfast. When I have to go to work or school I usually just eat cereal or something quick that I don’t have to cook but the truth is that I have plenty of time to make something warm and substantial and I would probably benefit from it as far as having more energy in the mornings if I ate a hot breakfast more regularly.

The ability to forgive is a skill I work on every day. I forgive those who have hurt me because holding onto the act creates ugliness within me. When I choose to hold onto offenses I become angry and hateful, a condition I refuse to live in.

Forgiving and letting go of the offenses committed by others comes easier than forgiving myself. It is so easy to beat myself up for the collateral damage my choices have made on the lives of my family. I have been working on only taking the blame for acts I am directly responsible for and letting my son take responsibility for his mistakes. I believed I was doing a great job (although extremely painful) of not being co-dependent and administering tough love towards my son. During a conversation this week about his progress, a very good friend brought to my attention the degree to which I blame myself for his problems.This week I had the opportunity to grow in the area of altruism and empathy.