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Sunday, August 3, 2008

The End of My Happiness?


Beautiful Beanie

And so, this post completes my 30 Days of Happiness extravaganza. It has been a really interesting journey. It's actually a lot more work than you would imagine but what I really like is that it requires a level of awareness in daily life that we don't normally exhibit. I enjoyed being a bit more 'in the moment' which I normally find quite difficult. True, there were days when it all felt a bit of a chore to try and record what gives me happiness and there are days when you cannot photograph what brings you joy, but the fact that I did it served to make me more aware every day of those things that do. I smiled more as a result of my undertaking and I really was amazed at how much joy and happiness my daughter brings me every day. This was a very special gift for me and one I will cherish.

It turns out I'm pretty easily pleased. The things I really love, my Beanie, my hubble, my spiritual journey, my fire, a hot chocolate, nature, a good book or 20 - are all things that don't require any great sacrifice of time or energy or even money. They are things that make me feel safe and at home and they can all be with me wherever I find myself. The revelation of this is that my needs can really be reduced to just these few simple things which create for me a sense of comfort and peace. This is another gift to cherish. We live in a world which encourages us hourly to buy more, to do more, to have more. I found in these 30 days that the things which give me real joy cannot (for the most part) be bought (books and hot choccie aside). I know, it sounds like a cliche but I do not need the latest fashion or a bigger bank account (although that would be nice, I'm sure) - I don't even need a slimmer figure or more perky boobs. All I need is my family and a few home comforts to make me truly happy and that's something to be remembered when I get caught up in the frenzy of life again.

1 comment:

Antoinette said...

Yay! Congratulations on a beautiful month - a Book of (Happy) Days.

You've inspired me to try the same. It's funny, because there's a part of me that has some resistance to doing this, or even fear (?)
It's a deceptively challenging 'Retreat' I think. Definitely worth doing by the look of it.