BEING HAPPY

I'd like to follow up on my previous post about happiness. Is it possible to be happy at every moment? As my dear friend from England, Carl, reminded me, all of us need to feel sadness if not only so that we can more fully enjoy the happy times. There is much truth in that Carl and I agree. Is it possible to be happy at every moment? I'm sure most of us would agree it is not possible. But even though we don't seem to be able to I still think it is a possibility. Personally I've never known anyone who claims to be happy all the time. As of this moment I haven't learned to be happy every moment but I am still trying. And believe me it does seem to get a little easier each day. Now will I ever reach that state of perpetual happiness? I do have my doubts about that but at least I am becoming more aware of what it takes to be happy in the moment. I'd like to share some examples of what I mean. When I awaken in the mornings and my body is aching from some kind of physical pain, am I happy? No, but I could be happy just knowing I can get up and go about the day. Maybe I won't be feeling great but at least I am still alive. And there is always the chance the pain will ease up or perhaps go away all together. I suffer from chronic pain due to having broken my neck in an automobile accident when I was only 22 years old. The pain never goes away and I admit there are times when I think it is going to get the best of me. But with that being said, I try to remain happy in knowing that the broken neck could have killed me or left me paralyzed from the neck down. So instead of focusing on the pain I try to focus on the fact that I am able to walk around. Another example--How can I remain happy when I see someone I love die? Of course I am sad for the loss but I always remind myself that the one deceased is still with me in spirit and in warm memories. So the sadness is replaced with a sense of being happy once again. This process may take some time but eventually the sadness is gone. Another example is that of suffering from a broken relationship of some kind. I've been through that scene more than once and it is never easy. At those times I found myself really sad at first but I was soon able to see that the relationship had served its purpose and that was a better relationship waiting for me to discover! My happiness did not appear immediately because I am a human being. And grieving a loss of any kind is I suppose, a natural thing. Another example is that of money. Contrary to some beliefs I think money is a good thing! In this world we need money to be able to live a relatively "good" life. When I was much younger I thought money was the answer to all my happiness. And those few times when I found myself broke and penniless I was far from being happy. But as the years have quickly rolled away I discovered I could still be happy even when money was in short supply. Believe me, I know it isn't easy when the bills are due and you don't have the money to pay them. Or when you are hungry and don't know where the next meal is coming from. But I still believe one can be happy even when money is in short supply. The funny thing about money or anything else one may be trying to attain is that the harder you try the harder it becomes to make manifest. I have tried for many years to stop worrying about money and just know that whatever I need will be supplied at the right time. And with that realization I can stay happy. I know this life can seem "hard" and happiness can become so elusive that one may feel like just giving up. At the same time though I truly believe one can remain happy in most every situation if they look deeper into their spiritual center which always remains perfect. Will I ever learn to never be experience sadness? No, I don't think I will. But I can keep on trying. It has been said that one can as happy as they allow themselves to be. So my hope for all of you is that you will set your mind on being happy and work every moment to keep your mind attuned to all the possibilities that are inherent within you. And when you inevitably find yourself feeling sad, take a moment to just look around and see all the beauty that surrounds you. Be safe, do good deeds, love yourself and be happy! Take the road that leads to happiness and don't forget to share that happiness with everyone! Be good to yourself and even better to others. Keep on smiling as happiness rains down on you and yours.

IF THE WORLD HAD ALL HAPPY PEOPLE

A verse from the song "Sweet Love" written by Lionel Ritchie and performed by The Commodores about says it all. The line goes like this: "If I was at a place where dreams are for dreamers and all you wished came true, I'd wish the world had all happy people, then there'd be no more wishing to do." Can you dream of a world that is filled with only happy people? I often dream of such a world. And my heart aches when I realize that this is only true in my dreams. But will my dreams ever come true? I'm afraid it will not. At least not in my lifetime. And still I wonder why. Why is there so much unhappiness, so much hate, and so much suffering in our world today? I realize that happiness is only a state of mind and that each of us have our own visions as to what it is that will make us happy. For some happiness means having lots of money. Or maybe finding our "perfect" mate. For some, happiness is having a good job, a great family, trustworthy friends, fame and fortune, or many other things we can possess. While all of these are great things to aspire to, I think it takes much more to find true happiness. I have come to find that the thing I need most is love. Unconditional love. I am trying to love myself and I'm still working every day to learn to love everyone in this world. And that is such a daunting undertaking at times. I find it hard to still love those who spread hate, fear, and prejudice and don't seem to care about anyone other than themselves. I try to see beyond the things they do and still find love in my heart for them. I can abhor the evil deeds they do and still love them the best way I know how. It is far from easy to do this and even though I fail time and again, at least I am still trying. I cannot deny all the evil I see people do. But I can at least keep on dreaming that one day soon everyone will learn to love themselves first, and then extend that love to everyone else on the planet. I truly feel that for one to love themselves they will have to put an end to all the evil ways. Love can be easy. Love can be extremely hard and very elusive. But the possibility always remains that one day all of us will see a world full of only happy people! I realize my dream may never come true, but as long as I am able to keep the dream alive, the possibility remains. I hope all of you wonderful people will join me in dreaming of a much better world. May we all quickly learn to be good to ourselves and even better to others. I leave you now with thoughts of perfect love, perfect peace, and perfect joy. If you will, do me a favor and do a random act of kindness for someone. Because you never know when your small act of kindness just may save someone's life. And that my friends, just might bring you more happiness than you have experienced in quite some time! And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me in my dream of a better world for everyone!