Allow me to fetch my soapbox...now go get yours and stand up with me.

Disclaimer: this post contains as many as 19 references
to the word happiness or happy.
You've been warned.

I set out to meditate on happiness
by posting a photo of something that made me happy
for one year and you know what happened?

I found it.

At first it seemed like a huge undertaking
but as time progressed,
I started to see little things all over the place that made me glad.
A field of flowers that I passed by every day,
sweet moments with my children,
celebrations, a superb meal,
the way the sun can shine so freely
into my living room through an open window.

Scouting out joy almost became a reflex for me
once I opened my eyes to it.
Blessings surround me at all times and
for that I am so grateful to have done The Happiness Project.

Beyond my own gratification,
it has meant so much to me that so many of my readers
decided to join in the fun as well.
I love stopping by to see what others
have found each week that made them feel cheerful.
It's been infectious...to watch this project spread.
So, thank you to all of you for stopping to find your own happiness.
I hope that you have found it is as rewarding as I have.

We cant's stop now,
it's been too good to come to an end.
I feel like the word is really getting out on this project.
So, I am revamping it and giving it a new name
along with a new fancy button...

Dedicating an entire year to happiness
pushed me to stick with this idea to the end.
On the weeks where I might have been a bit down,
I had to force myself to still look for the blessings.

So...I'm now calling it 52 Weeks of Happiness.
Let's make a commitment to ourselves
to find the good in our own worlds each week, without fail.
I'd like to challenge all of you out in the blog-o-sphere
to try to scout out joy for 52 weeks.
I promise you that it will be the most incredible year of your life.

Some of you may be super attached to
The Happiness Project.
If so, feel free to stick with that.
Simply use the old button and link up each week.
You can relax now if you fear change.

Blessings come to those who are open to receive them.
My Mammaw would say that I was preachin' right about now.
She'd shout "Shut the front door!" and toss her hands in the air with glee.
So...I'm gonna preach on, if you don't mind.

Grab your camera,
look around,
and post your bliss
for the world to see!

Maybe you will open someone else's eyes
to the delights of their own life.

I am making a few personal changes though.
For The Happiness Project, I posted one photo each week
with a short description beneath it.
I have loved the simplicity of this format
but I want to take it to the next level of awareness.
So, each week I will also write a mediation
on the photo that made me happy.
Many of you already do this so
it won't be a big change for some of y'all.

I look forward to delving even deeper
into the exploration of happiness
and I hope that we can spread the word to get more people involved.

Happiness is a choice
and I think that the world would
be a much better place
if more people chose to find it.

Here's to year two of happiness.
Let's make it an extraordinary one!!
See you next Tuesday, my darlings!

To view The Happiness Project in it's entirety
just click on the icon below.