High on Happiness

Archive for November, 2009

Deep within the center of you, of me, of everything that breathes and maybe even things that don’t, beats the laughing heart.

Its veins stretch back through the eons past the place where time began.  It’s seen it all.  And still, with every moment, every new flicker of light, it’s surprised.

As it beats through you, experiencing the world anew from your never-before perspective, it falls in love all over again.  How precious you are, with your marvelous stories, your peculiar slant, your original view!  How grand to be looking out from you, to be feeling all that you feel!

Oh sure, sometimes your stories are poignant; you have your frustrations and pains.  Your perspective is a human one, after all, and subject to illusions.  But your laughing heart sees through them to the vastness of you and it knows how your stories truly end.

Meanwhile, it thrills to the ways you find to be turned on, by the things that grab your interest, whet your appetite, and set your feet tapping.  It shivers in delight when you’re awed by a sunset or connect with another human being.  Oh, the ways you find to let your kindness show, and your inventiveness and determination!  How clever you are!  How soft!  How strong!  What dreams you have!  What imagination!

It gathers these things, the laughing heart, from you, from me, from all that breathes, and weaves them into a song of joy that sings through all creation.  We feed it with our lives, and with its love it sustains us, and so the song goes on and on, laughing out galaxies for our play and pleasure.

Always there is reason for gratitude; always hope gleams, even when it rides a salty tear from the corner of your eye.  The longest night can’t ban the morning or prevent the twinkling of the stars.  Even the deepest silence eventually breaks into song.

Our fallings down are followed by our risings up.  Look for the twinkling; listen for the song.

The mysteries are deeper than our knowing.  Be at peace with that.  A perfect wisdom paints the cosmos, every speck of it, even when our sight is blinded by pain.  In time, all veils are lifted, all meanings revealed.  And meanwhile, there is always reason for rejoicing, and for giving thanks.

Never is everything lost.  In the bleakest of times, in the midst of the most harrowing tragedies, the is of things outnumbers the not by infinity and it is made of love.  Look for the twinkling; listen for the song.  Always there is reason for rejoicing.

Want to feel really, really good?  Deep down, rock-solid, unwaveringly good?  Then learn to be staunch in your values, walking your talk, trustworthy in your word.  Be faithful to the truth and constant in following its light.  Do what you have contracted to do to the very best of your ability.

This is the way of happiness and wisdom.  It’s as fresh as sun-dried laundry, as brilliant as a winter sunrise, as peaceful as a kitten’s breath.  It leaves you feeling whole.

The woman who is unwavering in her integrity, the man who courageously stands on his principles, these are the pillars of the world, its leaders, wherever you may find them. They exude calm, and strength and purpose.  They invite your loyalty and trust.

Have a clear yes and an equally clear no about you.  Be aware of the lines you will not cross, the fundamentals you will not compromise.  Value and protect your personal honor; it is your dearest currency in the world.

Resolutely choose the good and the true.  In a world ridden with scandal and corruption, your integrity is your shield.   It will provide you with steadfast associates, true friends, authentic happiness and the sweetness of an untroubled mind.

Plunk a little smile into your happiness pool and watch what happens.  Watch its stillness break out into ripples, spreading further than you can see, each one riding its own shade of joy, its own note of the song.

Watch it smooth itself outward and slide into all the crevices of space, ooze itself into the pores of things, melt right past their resistance.

It does that, you know—happiness.  Get it rolling and it just doesn’t stop.  Birds soar on its currents.  Babies gurgle when it touches them; old folks break into grins.

DNA can feel it, soaks it right up, starts laughing for no reason.  They measured it; it’s true.

What if we all let it out of the boxes we keep it in, so tight with such big heavy lids?  What if one day everybody everywhere forgot all their troubles, all their mad, and let it shine, just for one blazing minute?  Do you think the whole planet would erupt in flowers?

Don’t be the one who keeps it from happening.  Get your joy ripples rolling and shine ‘em on down the road.  Lord knows, we need all the happy we can get.

I have a favorite fantasy where, after we die, we get to spend some time at this fabulous camp.  In the evening, everybody gathers around a huge bonfire, and swaps stories about the world they lived on last.

It’s like StarTrek come to life, with tales from every imaginable kind of planet and society.

Finally, it’s your turn to tell your story.  “So, where did you get to go, George?” someone asks.  You pause a little for dramatic effect, and then, with a grin, say, “Earth.”

“Earth!”  “Earth!”  “Did he say ‘Earth?’”  The word ripples around the circle.  “He got to go to Earth!”  A hush falls.  It was such a distant planet, Earth.  And so tiny.  But the stories about it were legend and the waiting list to go there was humungous.

“Is it true that it has everything on it?” someone asks.  You nod.  “Yes.  Yes, it does.  Everything you can possibly imagine, and a whole lot of stuff you’d never dream of.”

“And is it true that when you’re there you never remember that it’s all a play?”

“Well,” you say slowly, “a few do.  And they try to tell others.  But they’re pretty rare and when others run into them, for the most part, they think they’re crazy.  The illusion is pretty real.  The set is amazing, and the props are perfect in every detail.  But it’s the story line that gets you.  It’s so complex.  Intricacy upon intricacy, and all interwoven and looping through time.   Such a range of sensations and emotions, so many experiments going on all at once.  And talk about intense!  You have to spend about a third of your time in sleep just to stand it.”

You go on, long into the night, telling them about ice cream and aardvarks, penguins and ants, about the sphinx and igloos, about your particular life and how it seemed so ordinary at the time.

“Would you do it again?”  somebody asks as the night turns into morning.

“In a heartbeat,” you say.  “It was the best.”

Today was the one hundred and thirty-third day of a challenge I set for myself last July.  “I wonder,” I thought, “if I can take a photo of something beautiful every day for a year and post it on the ‘Net.”  The only way to find out was to try it and see.

I knew going in that days would come when I wasn’t in the mood to face rain or sub-zero cold, or when the day was drab or my energy was low.  But I knew, too, that beauty, like happiness, is always there when you open your mind to its presence, and that like happiness, it fills you with an energy that transcends your small self’s limited supply.

Today was one of the drab days.  The skies were overcast, the fields draped in the muted browns of mid-November.  The flowers are spent, all but the hardiest leaves have fallen, the frost has bleached the foliage that remains.  And to tell you the truth, I couldn’t wait to see what I would find.  One thing my 133 days of this adventure have taught me is that beauty never disappoints.

Like happiness, it’s always there.  It all boils down to a willingness to recognize it, to see what shape and shade it’s wearing now.  Every moment is built of perfection—of perfect beauty, perfect happiness, perfect order and grace.  The failure to perceive that it is so lies not in the moment, but in the perception.  And that, too, has its reasons and yes, even its beauty, could you but see the whole of it.

Here’s a secret about happiness:  As much as it loves us to be in motion, it also loves us to be at ease.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m not talking about being lazy, about sitting back and doing nothing.  (That has its benefits, too, of course.  But that’s a story for another day.)

I’m talking about taking the pressure off, about giving up the stress and strife of comparing yourself and your actions to some artificial standard of perfection.  I’m talking about being at ease with who you are and about recognizing that you’re always doing the best that you can with whatever awareness you have at any given moment, regardless of external deadlines or expectations.

If you could see a better way, after all, a way that was more joyful or efficient or effective, you would choose it.  The moment that you see that you need to be more mindful, you are.

Haste and tension are only obstacles that hinder our creativity and progress.  Forced speed creates more problems than it solves.  And anxiety blocks the very pathways through which solutions want to pour.  Flowing gently, with steadiness and ease, allows us to keep our focus, to remain open and attentive, to move with the energy of happiness, optimism and joy.  When you relax into the moment  it expands, and your awareness of available methods and resources increases.

All too often, we scold and criticize ourselves as if we weren’t our own best friends.  Carry a pocketful of imaginary gold stars around with you always to paste on your forehead when you need a reminder that you are beautiful and worthy and doing just fine.  Then, breathe.  Relax into the present, relax into the matter at hand, and harmonizing with it, flow gently on.

In the world of thought, happiness manifests as truth and light and goodness; as it courses through our emotions, it flows in the rich textures of joy and love.  But oh, when it plays through our senses, happiness reveals its rapturous self in pleasure.

It sparkles through our synapses in a jubilant orchestration of touch, of sound, of fragrance and taste and color.  We become instruments of its best music, spellbound by the rhapsodies it plays through the very biology of our beings.  There’s no part of us it cannot awaken, enchant and satisfy.

Wrapped in a thousand succulent tastes, happiness washes against our lips and tongues, juicing us up, making of sustenance a delight.  It comes as cinnamon and oranges, as barbecue and breads.  It comes thick and rich, baked and fried, leafy and snappy, crunchy and smooth.  “Taste me!” says happiness. “Enjoy!”

But it doesn’t stop there.  It rushes up our noses, too, with the fragrances of morning and flowers.  It wraps itself around memories of home in the smells of breakfasts and babies and clean laundry.  It comes with the pungency of the forest floor, the salty breeze of the sea, the perfume of a lover, the signature fragrances of the seasons.

Happiness pets us with its velvety touch.  It scratches our itches and blows a cool breeze against our hot brows.  It tickles our toes with the grit of sand and the wetness of morning dew.  It comforts and electrifies us with the smoothness of skin against skin.

It dazzles our eyes with light and color, painting itself into our minds through all we behold.  It plays its music unceasingly into our shell-like ears.  It lifts our spirits, it comforts and inspires us with its never-ending play of form and shade, of harmony and hue.  All gifts, all for our well-being and joy.

Come to your senses and open yourself to these gifts of pleasure.  They are happiness at play in you, delighting in life.  Celebrate them and be glad.

Find a place where you can sit undisturbed for a few minutes.  Close your eyes, take a deep breath, let it out and relax your body.  Keep your eyes closed the whole time you play this little game.

Begin by making your face as expressionless as possible.  Notice how it feels.

Next, let your mouth smile the tiniest possible smile, so small that your lips hardly move from their neutral position at all.  Hold that tiny smile to a slow count of ten, noticing how your feelings change.

Then, still paying close attention to your feelings, increase your smile just a teeny, tiny bit more.  Again, hold this little smile to a count of ten.

Repeat this process over and over in little, tiny steps, continuously watching how your feelings change and holding each bigger smile to the ten-count until you can grin no wider.

Go ahead!  Try it!  See what happens.  Pass it on.

If the word “bold” was an acronym, its message might be this:  “Be Outstanding; Live Divinely!”  Boldness goes for the gusto in life.  It reaches for the stars.  It’s packed with the daring to follow your joy, to dance to the music of your heart, to be the best that you can be.

Boldness doesn’t settle for the things that aren’t working.  It punches through the walls of imagined limitation and knocks down the doors that Defeat said were closed.  It claims its right to spread its wings, to wring from its supply of talents and strengths all the zest they have to deliver. It refuses to live small.

Boldness is the coat that happiness puts on when it goes out into the world to show its stuff.  It’s the color of confidence, woven from light.  It’s lined with laughter and its pockets are stuffed with possibilities.

It isn’t always loud.  Sometimes it whispers.  Nor should it be confused with brashness.  It is secure enough to move with utmost tact and grace.  But it always holds its ground; it never shrinks in fear.  It knows that it comes from the core of things; it’s assured of its worth and of the goodness of its mission.  It has integrity and strength.

Boldness is creative.  It may build on the past, but it never allows the past to define it.  It clings to nothing but its own sense of rightness.  It listens for the subtle voice of intuition to guide its ways.  It’s aware, and keen, and open.  It’s how you are when you’re rooted in the depths of your truest self.  It’s the human spirit, set free.