What are Happy Flutters?

What are Happy Flutters? 

Photo by Kim Smith taken at the Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May, NJ

They are those happy, excited, giddy feelings inside when you come upon something that lights you up inside. 

Think about how out-of-your-mind excited you felt on Christmas Eve when you were a child and trying to get to sleep so Santa would come, but it was so hard because of the happy fluttery excitement you felt. :)

Happy flutters can also be a more serene kind of feeling. Think about this. You come upon something that stops your heart a bit and then you are filled to overflowing with awe and wonder. 

Photo by Kim Smith taken at the Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May, NJ

Is it when you round the bend and catch that first glimpse of the glistening ocean spreading before you?

Is it when you are standing under a tall tree and you look up into the branches and see the varied shades of green and the sparkling sun shining through? 

Is it when you come upon a gathering of trees in the Fall that are so vibrantly red, orange, and yellow? 

Yes, we are adults now. But you can still feel those delicious happy flutters. 

What makes you happy? 

I know this can be a tough question for some of us. It was for me for such a long time. I have struggled with depression my entire adult life. Besides my kids being the lights of my life, I didn't have a whole lot else that brought me so much joy. 

And then I happened upon a watercolor painting in progress for a children's picture book project and my heart stopped and then this feeling of pure happiness and childlike giddiness began to swell within me. 

I immediately went to my journal and as I wrote about it I said that it gave me the "childhood happy flutters." 

So, think about the things that make you feel those delicious happy flutters. 

Make a list, paint them, write a poem about them. Whatever makes you feel all happy fluttery inside. :) 

I'll be back a little later with several ways that have helped me to combat depression and feel more happiness. 

I'm off to do some painting! :)

The big move to the beach

Last week me, my son and his wife moved to Gloucester, MA. We are a two minute walk to the beach. It is literally around the corner from us! We can't see it, but we can hear the seagulls and smell the salt air. 

This is an exciting, yet kind of scary move for me. It's a whole different part of MA than I'm used to living in. Granted, Gloucester is only 30-45 minutes from where I'm used to living in MA, but it's a whole new look, a whole new feel. It seems to be a whole new type of land. Not a lot of trees, houses pretty close together, etc. But there's a beach right around the corner!!! (The older I get the more difficult it is to handle change...)

I can't wait for the Spring and Summer to come so I can really enjoy it! It is so exciting to come around that corner when we are driving home and I can almost hear the Hallelujah Chorus sing as the beach suddenly appears before me, all glistening and whispering to me that God sent me here to heal. That the sea is where my heart will mend and deep healing will take place. 

Wanna see a picture of the mess that is my art studio/writing nook/bedroom? 

This is the Art Studio section of my room and is the biggest mess. Oy vey! 

And here is my Writing Nook. Definitely better than the messy Art Studio!

Here's to a whole new adventure!

xo ~ Kim

Fun, free, and happy fluttery!

I was surfing the net a couple of weeks ago and came across a blog that had a picture of a children’s book illustrator’s art desk with a partially painted watercolor picture for her current children’s book illustration job. Just seeing that watercolor painting made me feel so happy and excited inside. I journaled about it and wrote:

It’s so pretty and fun and beautiful and gives me the childhood happy flutters.

And I thought, ‘Happy flutters.... Oooh, that is fun! I really love that!’

I want to have more fun in my life. I want to be more playful, to be more silly and to laugh more.

I want to feel free. Free to be me, to be the me that I really am, deep inside. The me I am when no one is looking. The me in my heart and in my soul, without all the facades, without trying to be what other people expect me to be, without trying to be what I think other people expect me to be.

I want to be happy. This year, 2015, is my year. It is my year to embrace fully who I am. It is my year to become the artist I know that I am capable of being. 

You know, when I’m not experiencing those icky moments (which came way too much of the time!) when I doubt everything about myself and think that I suck at everything... It is the year to become the writer I know that I am capable of being.

It is the year that I am going to pay more attention to those things that give me those Happy Flutters deep inside my heart and my belly. Those things that make me feel like a happy, giddy child. Those things are the key to finding my true passions and to finding happiness.

It is the year that I do more of those things that give me happy flutters.

I get the happy flutters:

Whenever I go into the children’s section at Barnes & Noble – the YA fiction section, in particular.

When I look at children’s picture books that have watercolor illustrations.

When I hear classical  flute music.

When I play my flute.

When I spend time with my children and beautiful grandchildren.

When I am looking up artsy stuff on Pinterest.

I get the happy flutters when I write a short story with the help of a word prompt and a 15-minute writing sprint.

When I get ideas for writing projects, whether they be fiction or nonfiction.

When I create paper paintings.

When I just let loose on the canvas and not care about the outcome and just splash around in color and shape and use feel the paint on my fingers as I playfully finger paint. 

When I sketch cute little characters with no preconceived image in mind.

This is my year of Happy Flutters! :)

What makes you feel the 'happy flutters'?