High on Happiness

Archive for January, 2010

A light snow was falling as I walked past the playground, the tiny flakes sticking to its fence and beginning to pile on its links.  “No two alike.”  The words sprung into my thoughts as I gazed at the star-like flakes.  It was one of the first things I learned about snowflakes as a child.  Could it be true?  How would anybody know?

I liked imagining it.  Trying to think about how many individual snowflakes fall in one winter stretches your mind.  Multiply your impossible guess by all the winters that have ever been and you move toward a number that starts to keep pace with the national debt!  Imagining that every one of those flakes has been unique stretches your sense of awe.

In our quest to create harmony amongst ourselves, it’s become popular in metaphysical circles these days to sing of our oneness, our unity.  On a quantum level, so the teachings go, we share all the stuff from which we’re made.  No boundaries exist within the consciousness that shapes our separate minds and so, it is reasoned, the entire world’s an illusion and we, mere phantoms of our own imaginations.  But the snowflakes tell me that the truth is more complex than that, deeper, and more wonderful.

Each point of creation, each instance of cosmic expression—you, me, all of us—is a wholly distinct, unique note in the divine symphony.  The essential you is no flash in the pan.  You may not be what you think you are; you may be infinitely grander than you can even begin to suspect.  But that you are is certain—unique, necessary, inevitable and beautiful in all your permutations.  And because we are of the Joyous Divine, that note your being sings plays on forever, without end.

At least that’s what the snowflakes tell me.

Here it is, riding the photons and molecules, leaping the spaces between synapses and sounds, electric, liquid, invisible, laughing.

Here it is, pulsing down the quivering reality tunnels, infiltrating the protoplasm and DNA, all its stardust in tow.

Here it is, with its trunk full of costumes, playing hide and seek in the corners of your mind.

Here it is, tasting like morning, and waving rainbow flags just to get your attention.

Here it is, winking at you in the sunlight, peeking at you from the mirror, turning somersaults down your hallways, rolling down the street ahead of you just to clear the way.

Here it is, everynow, always, just asking for the dance.

Beginning with the moment I woke up, my day overflowed with happiness.  First, I got to wake naturally, without the work-week call of the clock’s alarm.  Then I pulled back the window curtain to see a landscape softened by a layer of fresh snow.

The woodstove in the kitchen still held sufficient embers to let me quickly build a new fire.  And as I sat down to eat my oatmeal in its warmth, I suddenly remembered that I had a phone date today with a new friend.

The list of delicious experiences stretched throughout the day, one after another.  And there was a time, not all that long ago, when I would have named the items on this list in response to my guiding question:  “Why am I so happy now?”

Exploring why I’m happy, what happiness feels like, what contributes to experiencing it, what magnifies the experience—these questions are the very foundation for this blog.  And now that I have been paying attention to happiness on a daily basis for several months, the answers are taking on more depth for me.

As I mentioned a couple days ago, I’m keeping a daily list now of “three good things” that I experience throughout my day as a happiness experiment, to see how naming good things impacts my experience of happiness.   And already it is becoming apparent to me that the good things I experience, the pleasurable or satisfying events, aren’t the source of my happiness, but more a reflection of it.  It’s as if they’re avenues through which my happiness expresses itself in the world, or the vehicles that my happiness rides on its way to play in my awareness.

Happiness isn’t something that happens because the conditions are right.  It doesn’t need a reason and it doesn’t have a cause.  Happiness is a natural state of being that we experience when our complaints and misery-stories, our illusions of lack or insufficiency, don’t get in its way.  Happiness never goes missing; it’s integrally a part of us.  When we don’t see it, when its beauty isn’t flowing through our awareness, it’s simply because we’ve put something in its way.  We’re looking at the shadow of the something instead of the light of which happiness is made.

So when I asked myself today, “Why am I so happy now?” the answer came back, “Because you let yourself be.”

Like a fire on a cold winter night, happiness offers warmth to all who come near.

Whether it’s leaping with spirit, or simply glowing deep within, happiness emits the essence of life in all its radiant joy.  Step into its circle and you immediately feel its welcoming warmth.  Special receptors in your brain pick it right up, and your heart knows it, too.

It melts barriers, opens the door to friendliness, prompts you to relax and invites you to roast a marshmallow or two.  It speaks to your fundamental cravings for shared humanness, for ease of being, for light in the darkness, warmth in the cold.

It’s a good idea always to carry little happiness matches in your back pocket.  Strike ‘em anywhere when you need them; they light every time.

Sometimes happiness rises up and wraps you in a cloud of the most beautiful contentment, where all the ordinary, everyday parts of your life are magic and perfect, just as they are.

The dust on the end tables, the crumbs on the car seat, the creases you see in the mirror, the missing button on your shirt—all of it seems like a movie set, made to make the story look real.  And you love it.

You love who you are, and where you are, and what you do and all your dreams.  You love the context of your life and where you’ve been and all the people who surround you.

You love that you have no idea how we got here or where we’re going or who God is, because the mystery is full of beauty and grace, however the answers unfold.

You love what you have created.  You love your hopes and dreams.  You look at your life as if from outside you and find yourself touched by how poignant it is, by how hard you try, by your imperfections, by your bravery anyway, by all you give and wish for, by the light you contribute, the sorrow you hide, by your wonderful laughter, your amazing talents and skills and strengths, by your all too human limitations.  And it’s all good.

You look at the abundance that surrounds you and marvel.  You feel the beating of your heart, the ceaseless pumping of your lungs, the pulse of life expressing through your body.  You wonder at the miracle of consciousness and self-awareness, of all the gifts that mere humans possess by the very nature of their being, and you’re warmed by it.

Contentment comes, and blesses it all with its aura of perfection, and you overflow with gratitude and joy.

One of the finest gifts that happiness brings is the gleaming light of hope.  And so pure is its light that even when every other evidence of happiness has disappeared from view, hope remains.  “Hope,” said Emily Dickinson “is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”

Hope casts your dreams and desires into the ocean of possibilities like shiny bait, attracting openings and luck to you.  It emboldens you with courage and daring.  It whets your will to adventure and lets you take risks and make leaps.   Hope opens your eyes to options and opportunities.  It recognizes prospects and possibilities and goads you to grab them.

“Hope is faith,” said George Iles, “holding out its hand in the dark.”  It’s a belief in the inherent benevolence of the universe, a trust that events have meaning whether they work out as you wanted or not.

Hope brings comfort.  It’s a shield that keeps you from being crushed by life’s misfortunes and disappointments.  It’s the fuel that keeps you going when the way is uncertain and hard.  It reminds you that you hold the tiller of your own boat, regardless of how choppy the seas.  It tucks around you like a soft blanket at the end of a difficult day and whispers to your heart, “tomorrow.”

Accept this sweet gift.  Follow its light.  It comes from the heart of love, and in the end, will lead you back to it, unfailingly.

As much as I delight in its sparkle and play, I love happiness best when it’s flowing with a soft and gentle ease, when it comes unbidden, for no reason at all, except to infuse the atmosphere with its sweet, contented joy.

It’s like the scent of a single rose blossoming in a summer garden, or the first gold of a sunset subtly tinting the sky.  The yes of it is a whisper rising from your heart, a quiet affirmation that all is beautiful and well.

And yet, for all its effortlessness, it has a depth and glory to it, a breadth that permeates and harmonizes everything you perceive.  It carries you beyond thought, beyond striving and desire, into a place of utter tranquility and peace where only wholeness abides, drenched in love, and in truth.

Give me an H!  Give me an A!
Give me a P-P-Y!
Let it rip!  Let it soar!
‘Til it fills the whole sky!

Let its spirit infuse you,
With ardor and with zeal,
Inspiring and uplifting
‘Til its joy is all you feel.

Let its animating influence
Start your every day,
And the genius of its gladness
Shine its light upon your way.

May its beneficial grace
Fill your body, heart and mind
And pour out from your being
‘Til its spreads to all mankind.

Give me an H!  Give me an A!
Give me a P-P-Y!
Let it rip!  Let it soar!
‘Til it fills the whole sky!

In the ever-changing now, where time is a wholeness wrapping eternity’s mornings and nights within its embrace, every moment is fresh and new.

Blink your eyes and reality’s kaleidoscope has shifted.  Cells and stars have died and been born; air that filled your lungs is now dancing with your bloodstream as you take in a fresh supply.  Your fingernails have grown, and your hair.  Clouds have formed and disappeared.  A new note in the great song is floating past.

In the blink of an eye, whole new worlds can come into being.  Attitudes can change, and expectations.  What was sleeping can awaken.  What was lost can be reclaimed.  Entire possibilities can burst on the scene.  Troubles can disappear, and worries.  Hope can come rolling over the horizon.  Deserts of the heart can feel the kiss of rain.   All in the blink of an eye.

We celebrate earth’s circling round the sun just to remind ourselves and its daily twirl on its axis.  Circles and cycles; beginnings and ends.  And in our lives, we can draw the start lines where we will.  At 2:03 on a Tuesday afternoon is fine.  Or with the next blink of your eye.

“Limitations live only in our minds,” pro cyclist Jamie Paolinetti said.  “But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”

Want some limitless possibilities of your own for the new year?  Crank up your imagination and see where it leads.  Ask yourself, “What would make me feel really alive?  What would be a real hoot to do?” and go for it.

Imagination is where it all starts, you know.  Everything.  It’s the great keeper of all dreams, where everything is possible.  And all you need to unlock its powers is a willingness to suspend your can’ts.   If you want to enter imagination’s world, you need to leave all your why-nots at the door.  Forget your lack of capital and training.  Forget your age.  Forget your past.  Forget every excuse you ever used to keep you from flying free.

Oh, and drop your seriousness in the bucket at the gate, too.  This is a world for your child-mind.  It’s a game of let’s pretend.  Pretend you’re lying on the grass on a warm and sunny afternoon, watching big whipped-cream clouds drift across the sky.  Pretend you have no schedule, no appointments, no pressing responsibilities, no obligations of any kind.  You’re just lying there, wholly relaxed and free, without a care in the world, wondering what you could do that would make you feel really alive, really pumped about your life.

And as you watch the clouds, they start to take on shapes.  You could be a lion-tamer, a rock star, an archeologist digging for dinosaur bones.  You could marry the mate of your dreams, travel the world, get a job painting Easter eggs.  You could own the company you work for or start one of your own.  You could form a barbershop quartet, or learn to play the harmonica.

Something inside you knows your best dreams.  Even if you have pushed them down every single time they tried to surface.  They’re in there.  And lying on your back, so relaxed and warm, you can let them float up and take shape in your imagination’s sky.

And then you can ask, “Why not?” and “What if?”  And when you exit Imagination’s world, if you forget to pick up all the stuff you dropped in the bucket at the door, you just might come away with a whole new direction for your life.