happy

I am currently doing a 30 day writing challenge with a friend. while some of the pieces are quite personal. some are food for a blog… here is one of them…

Things that make me happy

Hmmmm… this should be an easy assignment. Afterall, don’t we all know the things that make us happy? Things that we find joy in; that make us smile; things that give us that warm glow inside.. I could just write a list, itemise the things that make me happy.

Or I could philosophise on the things that take me out of sadness – for isn’t sadness the opposite of happiness? And therefore to be removed from sadness should bring us to happiness? But, as with most things, it isn’t that simple..

My word of the year is Joy. That close cousin of happiness. I spend my days now, trying to find the thing that has given me joy in the last 24 hours.

At times this is easy. A sunny day; a laugh with a friend; a “win” in life’s challenges. Usually its something very simple. Some days joy is all around me

Other days, joy is elusive. The day-to-day routine of life sometimes does not include joy. So this year, I have made it my mission, especially on these days, when it is elusive, to seek out the things I know bring me Joy.

And for me, now I have realised that far from the dopamine hits I used to get from damaging behaviours, Joy is found in simple things. Things that don’t require subterfuge, or obsessive behaviour. Things that I can do openly and honestly. The things that bring me the greatest Joy are the things that keep me well

Now I can find joy in the mundane. The satisfaction I get from finishing a piece of knitting – simple stitches created over time, to make something that will give joy to someone else.

I find it in my kids – possibly my greatest joy. In not only their achievements; but in their world view; how they carry themselves in the world. The kindness and empathy they show others. And the relationships they have with each other.

My pooches – no matter how annoying or irritating they can be; there is a sense of joy in their devotion to me and mine. And their core setting is Joy!

I find it in being creative. Knitting, writing, caking, some gardening (planning and planting rather than digging or weeding lol)

I find it, always, in nature. I should go out every day – sit by water, stare up at a tall tree. Let my senses all feed on the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and movements around me. Even in storms, I can hear the sea, and it brings me peace. I find much joy in my piles of pebbles, sticks and shells, collected from my outings all over the world.

There is happiness in my friendships. Most of the time. As I am getting older, I have fewer friends. But those I choose to have in my life, are there because they feed my soul. As I move away from my people pleasing habits, I move towards friendships that are deep and fulfilling

And the road. I always find joy and happiness as I drive and travel. Freedom to do my own thing, the richness of seeing things I have never seen before. Meeting people I never thought I’d meet. Trying foods, I’ve only read about…. Experiencing much that the world has to offer… finding peace in solitude. Finding awe in sights only seen online and in books

So the things that bring me happiness are the things that I can seek out. The things that I find unexpectedly. And the things that I am active in…

E hoa ma, ina te ora o te tangata

My friends, this is the essence of life