High on Happiness

Posts Tagged ‘Renewal’

“Let there be green!” sings sweet April as she makes a final sweep across the land.  “Let there be healing and transformation.  Let there be renewal and joyous, loving life.”

And here below, the last buds open to her command and their tiny leaves burst forth.  The juicy grasses dance in the dewy air, and along the creek’s banks, the mosses come alive.

Then, as newborn animals romp across the emerald fields, and blossoms of every hue wave from every corner, she floats through the arch of a rainbow and disappears, and wee birds sing her song.

Somewhere in a back corner of your mind it’s good to keep a little bag of favorite distractions you can draw from when life pulls you down.  Toss into it random scraps of things you enjoy.

Think of places that soothe you and draw your interest —a library you like to visit, a street lined with shops whose windows hold treasures and delights, or where the architecture fascinates you.  A park, a garden, a meadow, a beach.

Think of activities that engage you—hobbies and pastimes, games, sports, arts.

Think of people who make you laugh or who tell amazing stories.  A kid maybe, a neighbor, a pal.

Toss ‘em all in your bag.  Then, when you find some dark train of thought has gained traction in your mind, you’ll have ways to dis-tract it right at hand.

Happy distractions are like mini-vacations for the mind.  They bring you little pleasures and healing.  They offer you nibbles of light and joy.  They take you away for awhile so you can remember a bigger you.  You’re refreshed and renewed when you come back to tackling your problem.  And sometimes when you come back, you find the problem has simply gone away.

“An optimist is the human personification of spring.” ~Susan J. Bissonette

Spring is like the Energizer bunny:  It just keeps going, and going, and going.  Even this week’s cold spell and storms haven’t stopped it.  The flowers keep coming, regardless, and my winter-starved eyes are feasting in their unfolding colors.

Susan Bissonette was right on target in linking optimism and spring.  Both the season and the human trait sing of resilience and renewal.  Despite setbacks, they’re undaunted.  They weather the storms.  They’re filled with purpose.  They trust in the life force that pushes its vision into realization through their willingness to keep on keeping on.

Believing there’s a summer ahead and the potential for a bountiful harvest, you put setbacks in perspective.  You may be damaged and bruised, but something beautiful lies ahead, and you know it in the depths of your being, even when you can’t quite see exactly how it will work out.

I watched the flowers in the cold rain.  They curled inward and surrendered to its force.  After it passed and the sun’s rays once again caressed them, they opened and bathed themselves in its light.  And even though their petals were weakened and their stems bent, they pushed into the light and, basking in its comfort and power, were made whole and beautiful again.

Spring always follows winter.  Dawn always follows night.  When life brings its setbacks and storms, remember that.  Be like a flower in the rain.  Be an optimist.  Keep the faith.

Suddenly the roadside is strewn with tiny coltsfoot, as if Mother Nature had waltzed through with a hole in her pocket, dropping bright gold coins.

Gather a few.  Spend them on some new beginnings.  That’s what they symbolize after all—the season of fresh starts.

Dig out your dream-seeds.  Plan a new garden.  Renew your goals and the promises you made to yourself about moving toward the tomorrow stars that sparkle on the edges of your mind.  Anything is possible.  Make a fresh start.

It’s the season of renewal.  Breathe in its hope and gladness.  Feel the resilience of happiness springing anew in your heart.

“I can! I can!” sing the flowers.  Despite winter’s frozen night, the sun has returned to warm the nurturing soil.  Send down some new roots.  Push up some new shoots.  The whole of nature is conspiring for the growth and blossoming of your dreams.

When you open the window to happiness, freshness breezes in.  Suddenly its morning, with sunshine spilling all over the floor.

Happiness renews you, dissolving the weary and worn in its light, recharging your energies, reviving your spirit.

It glides smiling through the curtains of your mind carrying the scent of newly laundered hope and birdsong notes of new possibilities.

Happiness enlivens and invigorates you, sparkling through you like dew on the dawn-kissed flowers.

It lifts you from night’s darkness and restores your strength.  It reawakens your determination and will.  It whispers reminders of who you truly are.

All this, for opening the window.  For practicing your smile, for looking for the good, for offering your kindness, for forgiving and letting go.  All this, just for offering your gratitude and appreciation, for noticing beauty, for leaning into truth.  All this.  What a deal.