Are you happy?
Someone asked me that question the other day and I didn’t know what to answer… 😳 Me, the woman of many words, was dumbfounded by the unexpected inquiry!
If they’d ask, ‘Are you unhappy?’ I would have immediately said ‘No!’ But am I happy? 🤔 The question posed some serious consideration, some inner digging and some soul searching…
What is happiness anyway? How does one define it? Identify it? Own it? Embrace it? Create it?
As my mind raced for answers, I could see my curious interrogator growing impatient, so in line with my characteristic brutal honesty, I responded; “I don’t know…”
However, I’ve been thinking about the question since… 🤔
Oh! the eternal conundrum! ‘To be or not to be… happy!’ I think Shakespeare would’ve understood me. What a dilemma!
It occurred to me, that to make matters worse, our only barometer of happiness is or own past interaction with it, or lack thereof. That in itself, poses more questions; how do you recognise happiness in order to identify it? Are we born with a natural happiness detector?
- Let’s apply the scientific method and identify certain ‘symptoms’ usually connected with the ‘happy virus’:
- a spring in your step?
- unprompted smiling?
- easily breaking into laughter?
- less appetite?
- less chocolate craving?
- higher levels of energy?
- a willingness to try new things?
- deranged thoughts of the world being your oyster?
- jumping out of bed excited about a new day?
- impromptu a capella singing in the shower?
- dancing as if nobody’s watching?
Reading through my list, it did not feel very scientific at all, but rather Hollywoodesque… Mmmm…🤔
Let’s try again, maybe there are other symptoms of ‘happiness’ that might apply:
- a sense of peace? Of calmness?
- less anxiety?
- not giving two hoots about other people’s opinion of you?
- having the courage to speak your mind?
- understanding that everything happens for a reason
- accepting things as they come with less drama
- having a sense of inner power you wished you’d found in your 20s?
- feeling accompanied by God?
- not caving in to fear?
I finally had my answer to the question! 😃 No! I’m not happy in the Hollywood RomCom sense of the word, (I was, once upon a time), but now I have found another type of happiness; a more reliable one, a more consistent one, a more loyal one.
It’s the type of happiness that you cannot find outside of yourself no matter how much time or money you invest in the search. This happiness only exists within you. You must invest the time and create it for yourself, but once you do, it tends to stick around, come what may.
Suddenly I feel relieved! I almost want to run to my friend and tell her! 😂 But who cares, right?
As the new year starts I wish you every type of happiness, but I do recommend the latter one, the one that depends solely on you.
❤️❤️❤️
https://t.me/LauraAbolichannel
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Notes to Readers:
Laura always comes up with interesting questions and perspective. As a single retired individual I have a lot of time for self-reflection and quiet time. I know I have matured greatly in my emotional intelligence during the past several years, largely because I had the time to do so. Such is not the case for most folks attempting to balance family life, raising children, paying bills, and working two or three jobs.
What makes me feel happy is probably quite different than most of my more extroverted acquaintances. The other day, when I was alone for a few moments standing by my car preparing to go on one of my long walks at Princess Place, I breathed in the stillness of the forested park, the lack of people, the quiet calls of nearby birds, the rustle of the wind through the tall, long-leaf pines. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel “happy” or at least at peace. Simple things, Nature in all of her messy and breathtaking grandeur, simply being able to take it all in without expectation, but with a sense of singular gratitude.
When I arrive at a deeper understanding about a certain long-held question of mine, I feel “happy” or at least gratified to have achieved greater self-awareness and confirmation. A lot of long-held questions of mine have been answered in the past four years especially, which has given me more confidence to accepting that my early intuitions about the world were in alignment with reality.
Being a telepathic (at least to some extent) being in a shut-down world, hyper-sensitive, empath can be and has been a challenge. Anyone of a similar nature would totally understand. Yet each of us are entirely unique, having placed certain challenges in our soul’s journey that we need to overcome or surmount depending on circumstances.
Holidays are always a challenge, but this year I largely ignored the decorations and the drive to buy gifts, decorate, and gather in crowds. I know the current holidays are largely artificial constructs, set as an overlay to the Satanic festivals so I’m not going to feed into that old corrupt matrix. I didn’t receive or give a single present this year, but chose a few things to update my wardrobe, practical items that I needed, not something I would just toss away.
Happiness? Well, let’s say I’ve arrived at a place where I know there is a lot more to explore but inward, not outward. I’m learning patience… for despite my natural quiet gentle nature there is a certain fieriness to my inner being, which is the warrior who yearns for adventure. She is quiescent for the time being until there is need to call upon her fiery nature. I am also learning to take one day at a time.
For someone who doesn’t appear to be engaged in life… or “busy” in the traditional sense of the word, doing a lot, I might appear to be lazy, but I can tell you that there is a lot going on inside and appearances can be deceiving. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to share my inner focus right now as it is “in development” and will manifest when appropriate.
Is that confusing enough? I don’t fit in to social mores, never have, and could care less. I just don’t make a big fuss over it but go my own way.
Meanwhile my guides and mentors cheer me on when I reach a new level of self-understanding. That is more important to me than outer rewards and acknowledgement.
Eliza
Sunny's Journal 