“A happy life is just a string of happy moments but most people don’t allow the happy moment, because they are so busy trying to get a happy life”. Abraham
Dear Friends,
This quote above has been circulating through my mind for the last few weeks. I’ve been contemplating on my life this past year and feeling a bit down at times that life’s challenges have kept me from enjoying life the way I thought I should be enjoying it. Then the quote above kept inserting itself in my consciousness and I realized quite profoundly that I have many happy moments all the time. My natural state is to be light and playful and I am able to find humor in things that might seem dark or dreary. Because of this ability, I did find myself joking and laughing even during the difficult times. I try not to take myself too seriously (most of the time).
When you acknowledge that life is a string of happy moments and that there is no “happy life” you need to go out and attain, you will feel a huge burden lift off of your shoulders. We spend so much time wishing we were somewhere else, doing something different, with someone different, that we miss the opportunities to be joyful right here, right now.
There is always something in life to make us smile, laugh, and sigh in contentment . Currently I have two more sweet dogs temporarily living with me. I have to say, I was a bit worried about having two more 50 poundish four legged’s here in addition to my own two sweet dogs and cats. My prediction there would be more chaos has come true, but that was a no brainer really. However, I love these furry beings and they have brought many more happy moments into my life even during the frustrated ones of dealing with more dirt and doggie footprints!
The other day I was wiping off 16 paws after a romp outside as it had been raining. Two of the pups are under a year old and venture to have a contest on who can push their way into the house first. One of them is worse than the other, and she will crawl over, under, around any of the others to get inside first. Usually the older ones will wait patiently, but this particular day, no one wanted to be patient and I was trying very hard to wipe paws very quickly and keep them sequestered. Well, they won! They all pushed their way in and the struggle to contain them was a bit too much for me at the moment and I sat on the floor laughing saying “I give up! You guys win this time but not next time!” Yeah right….
When we give up our struggle to have things be a certain way, and allow what shows up to happen without struggle, then humor and lightness can arise. I could have been really mad that the dogs didn’t listen. And I have to admit, that has happened at times. However, that day if I stayed mad at that moment, I would have missed out on the silliness that followed. Of course, I want them to listen and do what I want, it certainly can make life easier and less chaotic. But sometimes we need a bit of chaos and silliness to shake us up and help us not to take life or ourselves too seriously.
I ruminate over how to apply this to other occurrences in our lives we feel are very serious, such as with a life threatening disease. It would probably be very difficult to think you can obtain a happy life during those times. But the wonderful thing is, no matter what is happening you can obtain happy moments. And if you let go of the goal to get rid of the life threatening illness so you can be finally happy, and you embrace the moments that show up and make you smile then something miraculous can happen. If you stop spending so much energy on the things that aren’t making you happy therefore you think you are not happy, and instead focus on the moments that show up that make you smile, then you free up energy for something so much greater, like your own physical healing.
There is always something to smile about, to cherish, to be in awe of! Those are the happy moments. I was at the beach the other day watching a man feed the seagulls. He was throwing bread pieces in the air as he was walking and the seagulls one by one would catch it in their mouths. I was in awe as the seagulls were flying in a circular pattern and being very orderly. Every single one of them caught the bread and turned to let the next seagull get his due.
Those seagulls weren’t wishing they could have a happier life. They were in the moment, catching the bread and enjoying their prize. The puppies pushing their way into the house, were in the moment doing what inspired them and smiling the whole time, every one of them!
We can learn so much from animals and I am blessed to have their examples of how to embrace happy moments all the time. Just watching birds at the bird feeder creates much joy in me. The birds aren’t looking for happier times, they just want to eat. And in their presence is a feeling of peace and joy.
If you are dealing with difficult times, and you feel there is absolutely no way out of your darkness, please know there is always a way in and out of every situation! If you can observe a bird, pet a cat, scratch a dog’s belly, watch children playing then I promise you will feel better and your energy will be lighter. There is nothing more you need to do. Just stay as present as you can in these moments even for a few seconds and you will allow your energy to move, to lighten, to bring healing and more light into every cell of your body.
It is natural and absolutely okay to want something more in your life, that desire is just human nature. But if we can allow our lives to be where they are at and not worry so much about creating future happiness, then we can find many more happy moments in our lives. If you truly realize that life isn’t about creating it to be happy but about cherishing moments, then you can unlock a tremendous amount of energy you can put elsewhere.
And the wonderful thing is, as we lighten our energy and stay more present in the moment, we start noticing more synchronicities in our lives and become more open to guidance from the spiritual realm. If we are bogged down with life’s woes then we can miss out on the communication that is happening all the time through our intuition and life’s experiences. When I stopped and focused attention to the seagulls, I had no idea I would be sharing this story with you until I started writing. I just stayed present in the moment enjoying fully the grace and beauty I was observing with these beings.
During this holiday season and into 2020, I wish for all of you the peace and joy that comes from experiencing many happy moments. As much as you can try to avoid making it a happy season or a happy new year and enjoy what shows up each moment. This is a particularly wonderful time to experience precious moments with the lights, beauty, music, and children’s glee all around us. Stay light, laugh, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Lots of love,
Rosemary