What Does Happy Look Like?
As I begin this beautiful clear cold winter day, my dominant intent is to get happy – in every way I can. Nothing is more important or more essential to my well-being than that I find fun, interesting, joyful things to think about and talk about. So today, regardless of where I am, what I’m doing or who is with me, I will focus on the things around me that please me. In other words, I’m gonna get happy – in every way I can.
So what does happy feel like on a day to day, minute by minute basis? Probably more pleased than displeased, more satisfied than aggravated. Happy might come when you feel the relief of letting go of or giving up a struggle that seems hopeless and has seemed so for quite a while, when you make the decision to stop worrying about anything and everything, when you finally say, “That’s it. That’s all I can do,” or “This problem really doesn’t belong to me, so why am I stressing out about it?”
Happy could be playing with a pet, touching your child or grandchild, seeing new growth on a favorite plant in the window, seeing a good mood smile on the face of a loved one. Happy comes in fleeting moments that we often don’t notice or stop to appreciate.
For me it’s when I see the daffodils and iris come up in my flowerbeds after a deep freeze of a winter. It comes when I see that my gold fish and koi are still alive in my pond after having a sheet of ice over it for several days. It happens when a sweet fragrance comes to me from the lilies or carnations or hyacinths, or from clean towels or sheets.
I feel happy when I have a fresh package of paper, a page of postage stamps, or a new notebook to write in.
I feel happy when I walk into my bedroom and see that I made the bed earlier. I like to stop and notice all the pretty pictures and decorations that I’ve put in there.
I feel the connection with happiness when I get animal pictures via email. I feel it when I see the cute faces of teddy bears and other stuffed animals.
Happy feels like seeing my new grandson come into the world and my daughter’s reaction to him. It’s finding those sturdy paper coffee cups that come with clamp on lids. It’s cold wind blowing on my face when I’m having a hot flash. LOL! It’s having a hot flash when I’m outside freezing.
We humans have a tendency to consider happiness as a long term situation, sometimes even a future goal and in doing that, we minimize the importance of or completely ignore these momentary bits of joy that can occur hundreds of times a day—if we’re paying attention. Life is now. This moment right now is the only guaranteed time we have, so why spend it agonizing over current events over which you have little or no control. Look for the things that please you. You’ll be surprised how many different things in life will make you smile. You might be surprised at how much better you’ll feel about a whole bunch of stuff when you “get happy — in every way you can”.
Comment from Deidre Bruno
Time January 16, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I hadn’t thought of it that way.. Seems I have alot to be happy about on a daily basis.. I just need to recognize them daily..