Thoughts On Happiness

A few days ago while I was catching up on my Simple Abundance reading, I read something that really stayed with me: “Perhaps if one really knew when one was happy one would know the things that were necessary for one’s life.” (Spoken by Joanna Field) It’s days later, and I can’t stop thinking about this.

            You see, Joanna, way back in the 1940s, began questioning if she was living her authentic life. She was worried that she didn’t know what truly made her happy, so she began keeping a journal of what triggered feelings of delight in her daily life. She talks about digging through “the minutiae of the mundane” to find what was missing.

            I’m a firm believer that the right books (or the right words) find you at the right time. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what makes me happy. My thought is that in order to be happy, you need to be able to recognize what it is that makes you feel that way. (Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy, but I think we can all stand to be even happier than we already are.) So, that’s what I’ve been up to lately: taking note (literally) of what brings me joy. I’ve been really sinking back into myself to connect with my happiness.

            Sometimes, I think the moments that bring us the most joy are so small and fleeting that we don’t always recognize them when they happen. I’ve been trying to slow down a bit as well as pay more attention so that I can recognize those bits of magic that appear in my days. That giant stretch I do when I first get out of bed. That first sip of coffee. The sunlight just beginning to peek through the windows. Seeing our house lit up as I pull into the driveway. The weird leap Hamburgers does whenever we let him outside. What I’m finding as I pause and appreciate these moments is that they’re not so fleeting anymore. The joy I feel seems to last a bit longer.

These little moments are tiny, so seemingly insignificant to everyone else, but they make up who we are. I think that’s what I’m finding so fascinating about happiness ¾ we may share some things that are the source of our happiness, but we also have things that are unique to us. And as cheesy as it sounds, I think that’s what makes the world such a magical place.

Comments

[Joyce]

I love this. And the more we recognize the joys in our lives, the more they appear, making us ultimately happier. :-)

[Liv Lane]

Totally agree! Soul Currency just jumped off my shelf the other day and it was exactly what I needed. I'm writing a Little Bliss List every week to keep track of all those bits of happiness; that book is on the list this week. I really think there's good in every day. So glad you're finding it!

[Colleen]

thank-you for the reminder!