Finding
Happiness
“It
is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to
find it elsewhere.”
Agnes
Repplier
There
are only two obstacles to inner peace--our own rabbit mind and the
world at large. I don't know about you, but my mind is capable of
dreaming up a million reasons to worry and fret—about myself, my
family, my friends, my community, aging, money; the list is long. And
then there's the world—all that poverty, and financial inequality,
the wars and hatreds, the environmental destruction, global warming,
Congress, and so on and so forth. There is so much to worry about
that I truly don't have time to be happy. If we were to listen
to the pundits, we'd all just cash in our chips and dig a deep hole
in which to stick our heads.
So
here's the deal—you can't wait for everything to get better to have
some happiness. If you do, you'll never have it. I adhere to the “do
what you can and let the rest go” philosophy. It's a sorting
process, like cleaning out a closet. I'll put things I want to keep
in one pile, things to send to consignment or my sewing room in
another, and things to give away or throw away in a third. In the
scope of one day of living, there will be things you have control
over and can change, things that you may be able to influence but
cannot change, and things that don't belong to you and you must let
go. If you spend all your time and emotional energy on stuff that
isn't yours in the first place, you will squander your one “wild
and precious life.” (Mary Oliver)
I'm
not suggesting that you turn your back on the world...not at all. I
am saying that there are events in your own life and in the life of
the world about which all you can do is pray. Light a candle, say a
prayer, hold that person or that entity close in your heart, send
them love and positive regard. When there is something you can do, do
it. When there is nothing you can do, pray and let go. Prayer is a
potent form of energy. Don't assume that praying is your “do
nothing” fall-back strategy.
Happiness
is peace of mind; it is contentment, it is a quiet sense of
acceptance and joy. Achieving it is not easy, because we and the
world cast a dark shadow with all our fears and flaws. Nevertheless,
it is a worthy goal.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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