During Happiness Happens Month we’re posting lots of blogs including many from guest bloggers.
Today we’re happy to share a post from Susan Mallery, a New York Times Best Selling Author.
It’s no secret to anyone who has read my books that I love animals. Cece the therapy dog in the Fool’s Gold romances is based on my own tiny but intrepid toy poodle Nikki. Nikki is six pounds of unadulterated joy, so when I was invited to share my insights on happiness for Happiness Happens Month, she came immediately to mind.
1. Happiness is contagious.
There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as a dog who’s happy to see you. When my husband and I come home after going out to dinner, Nikki’s joy is so big, she can’t contain it. It comes out in wiggles and yips as she circles our feet and races between us to greet us both, trembling with the thrill of our return. Her happiness is contagious – I catch it every time.
It spreads between humans, too. When you’re happy, express it, and it will be reflected back to you. (You may not want to express it in wiggles and yips, but hey – who am I to judge?) Smile. Fist-bump a total stranger. Post something positive on Facebook. Chat with the check-out clerk. When you express your happiness freely, the people on the receiving end get a nice little mood boost of their own, and they spread it to others.
2. Play matters.
It doesn’t matter what Nikki’s doing. If I say “ball,” she’s ready to play, day or night. Same thing if I take fast pitty-pat steps toward her. Or if I look her in the eyes for a beat longer than normal. The point is, she is on constant alert for the opportunity to play.
Doesn’t that seem like an excellent way to live?
Don’t allow your life to become about nothing more than a series of chores and obligations. Figure out what you enjoy doing, then make it a priority at least once a week. Ride your bike, read a book, draw dirty pictures – whatever it is that makes you smile, do that. And do it regularly.
3. Things won’t make you happy. People will.
Nikki seldom plays with the ball by herself. She can get to it any time, but the ball on its own is boring. Her joy comes in the interaction. She wants me to throw the ball. She wants me to chase her. She wants me to ask her to give it back. (She doesn’t so much want to give it back.)
A great way to celebrate Happiness Happens Month would be to call a friend you haven’t seen in a while and make plans to get together.
4. Happiness can be found in the quiet moments.
We have a ritual in our house. Every evening after the dishes are done, we retire to the living room. We humans put up our feet, and Nikki curls her tiny body up next to me. As she settles in, she releases a sigh of contentment. That sigh echoes in my heart. Happiness.
Meet Susan Mallery
New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has sold more than 25 million books worldwide – and every last one of them has a happy ending! Her latest happy ending is in Three Little Words, available now wherever books and ebooks are sold.
Susan Mallery recommends that you celebrate Happiness Happens Month by getting together with a friend you haven’t seen for a while. Tell us the first name of the friend you plan to call, and share something about that friend that makes you smile!
To win a copy of Only Yours, the Fool’s Gold romance that introduced Cece the therapy dog, post a comment below.
If you’ve read Susan’s books which is a favorite?
Written by Pamela Gail
Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998.
The Society is grounded on Pamela’s four key Practical Happiness Principles:
Pamela identified 31 Types of Happiness that are on the SOHP App Happiness Counter to make it easier to recognize moments of happiness.
Pamela also plans and organizes the Society of Happy People's annual happiness celebrations:
She's also a speaker, trainer, and author.
A few of her personal smile starters include her monthly book club, yoga, traveling and meeting new happy people.
Three Little Words was my favorite so far! Keep up the good work!
Thank you, Patti! I’ve been hearing the word “favorite” a lot when it comes to THREE LITTLE WORDS, so of course, I go straight to the dark place: will readers ever like my next book as much? LOL
Dogs are the best! Dogs and one of Susan’s books, even better!
I love dogs! Though I must confess, I miss having cats, as well. Love reading with a cat curled up in my lap.
I’m looking forward to getting together with a woman named Beth. She’s older (my parent’s age) but doesn’t act her age and we get silly when we are together. She was recently widowed and has been such an encourager in my life. Looking forward to a silly time together.
Oh, that sounds like so much fun, Susan! Hope you and Beth have a wonderful, silly time together.
I love the Fool’s Gold series they all make me happy but my favorite is Three Little Words.
Thank you, Amber! Have you discovered all the bonus content at http://www.foolsgoldca.com?
Only His the last one I read
You have some fun reading in front of you, then! THREE LITTLE WORDS is the 7th Fool’s Gold romance since ONLY HIS. 🙂
Nothing brings about happiness sooner than a tummy rub – THAT is the essence of a good and happy life. This is the belief of my little cocker, Gracie, and she makes sure that this is handled frequently.
Nikki agrees completely with Gracie. I, on the other hand, find that tummy rubs don’t bring me to my happy place. 😉
LOL Then, Susan, you are missing the point. If Gracie (and Nikki) are happy, then the whole world must be happy. The fact that you are allowed to administer these tummy rubs should bring you to your happy place. I’m not sure how, but I believe this may be somehow Zen.
I have not read any of Susan’s books but I shall look for them! I am going to call my old roommate Doreen out in CA – nao matter how much time goes by between conversations we can pick i tup right where we left off. Or since we are both getting a bit “OLDER” we can start a whole new conversation and still not miss a beat!!She is just as silly as I and that’s why we are such WONDERFUL OLD FRIENDS!! Susan, please give Nikki a belly rub from me!!
Consider her belly rubbed, Maureen! (Nikki’s, that is, and not Doreen’s. 😉 ) Maureen and Doreen – you must’ve made quite a pair! Long-time friends are the best.
My family makes me happy and that includes my huskies- Zeus, who is 7 & Bolt, who is a year and a half. Zeus is my shadow. He follows me everywhere. Right now Zeus is to my left & laying beside me. Bolt is off playing somewhere. He is my son’s pup. Our home is hardly ever quiet, but we love it!! Howls from huskies makes life interesting & we would not want it any other way. We love our huskies & life would be so boring without them!!
It’s so true, Melissa. Dogs make life better! Maybe I should’ve added “Howl” to this list of things we can learn about happiness from a dog. Sometimes, making noise is very satisfying.
Susan,
Our huskies especially Zeus “howls” whenever he wants something. Sometimes it is like 20 questions trying to figure out what he wants if it is not O-U-T (we do not say it because he does this potty dance), water, or feed. At times Zeus just wants me!
I have read all if the Fool’s Gold and love them all. I have them on my Iphone, computer and ereader, just in case I would like to reread them. Thanks for the Happiness lesson.
Oh, that’s so nice to hear, Patricia! Thank you! It’s so wonderful to hear that readers love Fool’s Gold as much as I do.
I love Susan’s books. But I have to admit that Ford’s book is my favorite so far (Three little Words)
I don’t have a dog right now but I am hopeful that within a few years I can be in a place to be a good dog owner again.
I love Ford so much! He is just so darn charming. Isabel is a lucky woman. 🙂
My best friend Sandra and I met in a hotel room we were sharing on a debate tournament trip in college. She is smart and funny and always makes me smile when we talk or hang out together.
You actually stayed in the hotel room together when you’d never met before? Sounds like college! LOL And look at that, you got a lifelong friend out of it. Pretty cool.
I love all of Susan’s books. if I had to choose a favorite. It would probably be a tie between Three Sisters and Already Home.
Thank you so much, Vicky! The follow-up to THREE SISTERS, titled EVENING STARS, will be out in March.
Hi Susan, I will look forward to EVENING STARS. I’m sure it will be wonderful, too! Thank you for responding to my post.
I plan to get-together with my husband’s sister. We’ve spoken on the phone, but have not spent the day together in a couple of months. I think we will go shopping and “do lunch.” Thanks so much for this great blog post!
How nice, Becky, to have a sister-in-law who is also a friend. Enjoy your day!
I plan to call my best friend of 20 years, Amy. I moved to Savannah, GA 10 years ago and she lives in Omaha, NE, and we haven’t seen each other since I moved. But, she’s such a great friend that she took vacation time to come to Georgia with me when I moved and I desperately miss her! She is going to be a 1st time grandma and whenever we talk, she always makes me smile with her excitement and preparation for her grandbaby. She already has a nursery set up in her house for when they visit, she’s bought tons of clothes, diapers, decorations, toys, etc. and always has to tell me the newest thing she’s found. I’m so happy for her and like seeing her so happy that I always smile whenever we talk!
Oh wow, that is just so sweet, Brandi! Congratulations to Amy on being a first-time grandma. I think it’s precious that she’s created a nursery in her home, too. I hope she gets lots of cuddle time with the little one.
Love reading Susan’s books. As for a favorite, it seems to be which ever one I’m reading at the time…smile. The three out this summer each touched me in special ways.
Just One Kiss….with a character that has MS
Two of a Kind….with a radio DJ
Three Little Words…with a teenage crush that you write
letter to.
Looking forward to the Fool’s Gold Cookbook!
Hi, Brenda! Always so good to “see” you. 😉 I got my author copies of the Fool’s Gold Cookbook, and it’s so thrilling to hold it in my hands! I can’t wait to hear what you and the other Fool’s Gold Cheerleaders think of it. 😀
I’m looking forward to seeing my best friend of 40 years this weekend! We grew up next door to each other and talk on the phone weekly – this weekend we’ll sit around campfires and put our toes in the water together and catch up on life! Yay!
That all sounds fabulous – except the sitting around a campfire part… and putting your toes in the water. If it were me, I’d sit with my friend around a manicurist with our toes in the little foot bath. 😉 But whatever makes you happy works! LOL
I love all Susan Mallery books, especially the Fools Gold series but my all time favorite one of her books is Straight From the Hip from the Lone Star Sisters series.
Thank you, Ada! It’s always so interesting to me to hear which books are a reader’s favorites. I was really nervous with the Lone Star Sisters series, about whether readers would come with me on the journey of redeeming their long-lost brother. It was really wonderful to see reader reaction.
I hope to talk to my good friend Adele shortly; we haven’t talked in quite a while, and the time difference between Ohio and SoCal makes it hard. We met when we started our MLISs at UCLA. But I came back to Ohio, and I won’t see her anytime soon, sadly. 🙁 I appreciate your books making my life a bit happier, and like I said on Google+, really find Three Little Words the best yet.
I love reading Susan’s books! My favorite is Summer Days although I love going back to Fool’s Gold again and again. Can’t wait to read Three Little Words!
This was some great advice for finding happiness in the small things. Susan also is amazing at writing happy stories in her FG books!
I love this series and just when I think I’ve read the best another one comes out and it’s even better. Love them all.
Julie
I don’t think I managed to read all of Susan’s books but what I’ve read (which is a lot 😉 ), I loved. I love the Hometown Heartbreakers Series and of course Fool’s Gold Series. But I gotta say that probably Only His and Three Little Words are my favorite. There is just something about Ford and Nevada that I love. I also cannot wait to read Angel’s story 😉
Susan, I love your books. I love discussing your books with my gal pals. A twist of a sentence or “Hey, that happened to me” or the interesting thoughts that seem to mirror real life or even maybe what we want it to be. 🙂
Pets make us more open to love since that’s all they want… your love and attention. Mine race around me, joyfully nipping each other when I return to them. I know they have made me a better person.
Best regards,
Kristey, Henry (JRT), Minnie & Dottie (Rat Terriers)
Three Little words is my favorite as of this moment but each and every one of the body guards story has been my favorite. I so can’t wait for the cookbook and Noelle’s story.
Scooby Doo (my rat terrier/beagle mix) brings joy and happiness every day… also cannot wait until angel’s story comes to print
Love Fool’s Gold!! Ford was my favorite male character! He was sooo charming, and easy going!! The Love Letters in THREE LITTLE WORDS were so special, such a romantic touch!!
I love Susan’s books. Fools Gold sounds very much like a place I’d like to live. I learn all the time from my Bulldog Bozley. He’s almost 12 and is slowing down some. He lets me do whatever I want until 4PM, then I’m his. I can’t read (which really kills me if I’ve just gotten a new book) or watch tv, play on the laptop, total attention must be his. I think to myself – why NOT? put aside whatever I’m doing to hang with him.. After all – everything else can be done when he’s sleeping!! I loved Fords story Susan, but I must admit I’m really looking forwar to Angels!!
I love reading your books. Always waiting on the next one to come out.
right now, three little words is my favorite