Here we are on Day 1 of Twixtmas…

You can transform your personal happiness by doing a five-day work out during the Twixtmas break – the period between Christmas and New Year. By following some easy-to-do ‘happiness workout’ tips you can make yourself happier, ready to step into 2011 with more optimism and energy.
The binge happiness five-day programme consists of completing what is called a ‘happy diary’ for each of the five days of Twixtmas, December 27-December 31, which focus on the happy, positives in your life.
Writing down positive thoughts and feelings has been proven to beat just talking about them. Scientists believe that writing encourages the creation of a structure and storyline which can help people make sense of what has happened in their past and also guide and direct them towards finding solutions. Just talking about problems can often be unstructured, disorganised, and even chaotic. As a result, it can add a sense of confusion to your emotional state.
Twixtmas campaigner and GREEN director Andy Green said: “Arm yourself with pen and paper and make some time during the Twixtmas break to give yourself a five-day happiness work-out. Expressing your appreciation and thinking about the positive aspects of your future, or even writing affectionate things, have been scientifically proven to work and make you feel better in yourself.”Today’s workout is:

Day 1 Write down four things from the past week which have made you feel grateful. Then think about and write down how one of the best experiences in your life made you feel.

So here is my Day1 writing:

Over the last week, I have been grateful for

1. having the opportunity to share my material and emotional wealth with so many people over Xmas,
2. the efforts of my colleagues in Artworks during difficult times,
3. that my granddaughter Niamh is such a delight and for
4. the thought and grace that Lucy put into my Xmas presents.

Thank you all for your help and support.

Now for a ‘best life experience’ (Note that this is ‘a’ best experience, not ‘the’ best – that would be too much of a challenge and risk downgrading some experiences just because at this very moment they do not feel top of the list). I want to write briefly about one evening about 15 years ago when I sat alone on the beach in Sri Lanka watching the sun set.  The sea rippled gently in the background and as I watched trancelike in the deep heat of the day the sky became suffused with liquid gold the more I watched the more relaxed I became; sitting on the warm sand I felt connected to the earth, at peace and at one with nature. For that half hour as the sune slid below the horizon, I could have been anywhere and nowhere.