All women know that accessories make the outfit. A boring grey skirt and white button down shirt could be transformed into a head-turning ensemble when you add a colorful scarf, dangling earrings, red pumps and a matching leather handbag. Accessories can also provide tremendous enjoyment in life. No, I don’t mean jewelry and belts—although a new pair of shoes is like a happy drug for me—but rather other things that can weave color, emotion and texture into everyday life.

Your living and working environments, for example, should be a delectable feast for your senses and filled with things you enjoy—a particular piece of art, photos of family and friends, the scent of a fresh rose or spicy vanilla candle, the sound of your favorite jazz CD or water trickling down a small fountain. A few years ago, I created a CD with twenty of my favorite songs and listening to it always puts me in a good mood. Actually, better than good when you consider I start dancing around the house like a wild woman and singing (some might call it yelling) at the top of my lungs.

Friends and family are also accessories, adding layers of social interaction and emotional support to your life. Children are certainly playful additions to anyone’s life, and if you mentor a child, you’ve chosen to be an accessory to her life. And then there are the non-human species as well. Pets, with their unconditional love, can make you feel like the most important person on earth. Dogs and other animals are brought into hospitals to lift people’s spirits and help the healing process. There are millions of plant species that are just waiting to be part of your life. Go outside and rub your bare feet on a patch of cool grass. Smell a flower. Take a hike. Plant a garden.

One of the biggest accessories to my life is food, not because I need it to survive, but because it’s so much a part of who I am. Preparing a simple tomato salad is thoroughly enjoying to me. The aroma of basil permeating the room as I tear off the leaves. The wet, firm texture of tomato on my fingers. The colorful spiral of red, white and green created by alternating slices of tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella on a platter. After topping it off with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil, I sit down with friends and family, savoring every bite while I listen and talk to my guests. That one simple salad stimulates all of my senses.

Even ancient Goddesses are not without their accessories. Quan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of compassion and mercy is often depicted with items around her symbolizing her role in the world. For example, a vase is the pouring out of her compassion to all beings, a lotus blossom represents the purity in our hearts that is always present, and a willow branch reminds us of our ability to bend and adapt without breaking.

Accessories add fun and interest to your life. Could you imagine Elizabeth Taylor without diamonds or any of the “Sex in the City” women without their Cosmopolitan cocktails? Whatever or whoever does it for you—red pumps, a hot fudge sundae, new curtains, your cat or a favorite song—adding accessories to your life is a guaranteed ticket to many happy moments. The spirit of the Goddess inside of you needs to be fed and stimulated so that you can stay excited about life.

5 Ways To Accessorize Your Life:

• Surround yourself with things you love to look at.

• Intermingle frequently with adults, children, animals, and nature.

• Fill your home with the smell of fresh baked cookies or a meal made from scratch.

• Listen to your favorite music while doing mundane chores.

• Carve out time for a special hobby.

Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss

Debbie Gisonni, aka The Goddess of Happiness™, is an author (The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss and Vita’s Will: Real Life Lessons about Life Death & Moving On), speaker, happiness expert and columnist for iVillage.com. Contact: http://www.goddessofhappiness.com

Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Gisonni

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