DEFINE HAPPINESS

                                             

Kurt Vonnegut, the American Author once said and I quote, “I urge you to please notice when you are happy and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” For most of us this is true but conflicting, because we feel in order to be happy we must have something to be happy about. And that something comes in so many different degrees for so many people.

I look at my dog and I think what a simple life you live and yet so often you are happy. I say,” lets go for a walk and you’re happy” or “how about a treat and you’re happy.” I go away for a while and you welcome me back and you’re happy and it doesn’t even have to be me. When anyone comes to our house you’re happy. You give everyone the benefit of the doubt and you’re going to be happy with him or her until they prove you wrong. Maybe happiness comes to you because you don’t micromanage your life and you just take things as they happen. Maybe its because you don’t care if you’re the leader of the pack or bringing up the rear, you’re happy to follow and almost to a fault. I know, I know, were not dogs but is there a lesson to be learned here? That being, don’t take life so seriously.

If my kids or close friends saw this they would say what a hypocrite. You’re not always happy. My answer is, “You’re right-- but I want to be.” Now there are things that make us sad that we have little control over. The death of a loved one for instance or the loss of your job or your health. But there are other things-- and I might say they are the majority of the things we run into-- that we can manage better by either avoiding them or just saying to ourselves, “Lets weather this storm and not let it rule us.” One of the things that old age does bring out, is the “been there and done that,” syndrome. For instance I have wronged people in my life and that is especially egregious, because the end result was, I made two people unhappy.

Life’s problems seem to be more manageable if we break them into more manageable pieces. I have learned to do this and believe me it helps. It also helps to not be afraid to ask for help. Not all of us are as inept as others at solving life’s problems and yes like it or not, we are our, brothers keepers. Life is this great journey we take and in all of the years I have lived in Crosslake, I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people. Not only the privilege of meeting them but also worshiping with them, socializing and sharing some parts of our lives together. So much happiness comes from this interaction with others.

There comes a time for all of us when this journey ends and although it may mean the end of our physical life, it isn’t the end of our influence. It’s at this time when people really know if you lived your life in a meaningful way. Writers write stories and poems that live on after they are gone. Painters leave wonderful examples of how they saw this beautiful world and musicians leave their music. But the most wonderful and meaningful thing we can all leave, is a good and lasting impression and an example that others want to emulate. Let’s all live our lives in a manner that leaves a little bit of us to live on.