Vices.

I am in the middle of what I like to call a "funk". (And no, not the fun, college "pre-" kind where you just play flip cup for hours.) Part of it has to do with biology, part to do with the fact that it has officially been 6 months since I flew south (and coincidentally, 6 months since I've really spent any time with my friends in Seattle) and part of it is a big mystery. As funks often are, very few things seem exciting, talking to people doesn't seem all that necessary, and certain things become hugely comforting for the part of us that feels broken, hurt or simply confused.

Everyone has them. Those simple, small things in life that always seem to function like a hug on a day when we really need one. (Or just make a good day even better by simply existing.) I define said "vices" as falling into one (or all) of the following categories:

1. The things that make you feel better no matter what.
2. The things that, even when crunched for cash, you will spend more than is budget-ly reasonable on.
3. The things that calm your crazy.

I like the third definition the best. Admit to it or not, we all have a little crazy that sometimes erupts into a lot of crazy that sometimes needs to be subdued. And these vices, time after time, do the trick. I wish I could tell you that one of my vices was going to the shooting range, but I'm sorry to say that I am just not that cool. (And I think that firing the shots would actually make me more anxious.)

In this particular funk, I have taken refuge in three particular things: nail polish, yoga and tea. Looking down at ten freshly painted fingers, finishing a Vinyasa session (that, admittedly, I still have a lot of trouble getting off the couch to go participate in) and sipping either green or peppermint tea has all soothed my soul immensely over these past couple of weeks. Three simple things, that together form a coalition of healing, that, topped with a long phone conversation with a certain mom have pretty well done their job to fix me up to the point where I feel like I am ready rejoin the human race.

Another thing that helps me when I am feeling down is to clean. Not in the Holly Housewife sense - no, vacuuming in stilettos is not my thing - but in the sense that I truly believe your outside surroundings heavily influence your inner workings. And that if you are living in a clean, pretty environment, your thoughts will follow suit. As I was cleaning yesterday and carefully arranging all of my various items in my medicine cabinet, my eyes were drawn to the particular shelf that housed all of my Essie colors. The tiny bottles, so seemingly insignificant, put a smile on my face - they just looked so darn nice together. I decided to take them out and neatly display them on my countertop, because they made me so happy (much the same way that I often like to hang a favorite dress prominently in my closet because the mere sight of it makes me exude joy.) The end result was this:

(Please, pardon the smudge on the purple!)

I am not saying that nail polish is now a decorative element (did you hear that, Elle Decor?), but am simply making the point that small things can make you really happy...but you have to let them. Often times when we feel bad about ourselves, we wait for something monumental to break the cycle - how many times have you or someone you know uttered the words "I would be happy if..." 

...I had a boyfriend ...I made more money ...I could lose 10 pounds ...I lived closer to my friends ... etc.

There is not one person in this world who is 100% satisfied with the way their life is right at this very moment (and if you find someone who claims they are, they are lying to you), but we all put way too many conditions on happiness. Or, maybe the thing is, that we wrongly define what it means to be happy. It is unrealistic to think that you are going to be a bobbing, bundle of sunshiney joy all of the days, hours and minutes of your life. But does that mean you are not happy? Certainly not.

In this day and age, when are we are bombarded daily with technology, media, Facebook updates and emails, it can be hard to zero in on the things that add a few moments of bliss to our day. I am encouraging you to seek those things out. Wear your favorite pair of heels with your PJs just because you like the way your feet look in them. Hang your nephew's (poorly) drawn dinosaur picture above your nightstand like it is a Rembrandt. Use nail polish bottles as decorations.

Whatever you do, find those things that even in the midst of clouds, make the sun break through just a little, even if just enough to give you faith that it's still there.

♥mb.