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.

30 Days of Happiness - Day 8

Happiness is...


A good fire in the hearth on a cold, wet, Winter's day.

I have a bit of a thing about the element of fire in general. Perhaps I was a pyromaniac in my last life - tis possible. I find that just having a fire in the hearth makes me feel somehow more positive about everything. Like a cat, I gravitate as close to it as I can get without getting paws burnt or whiskers singed. I long to simply curl up and stare into its dancing orange flames until I am absorbed. In my post, The Stillness We Seek I have talked about a deep spiritual experience that occurred while fire gazing. I love that if you look hard enough you can just make out the dancing Salamanders, leaping lightly from log to log in search of more flame to consume. I (figuratively) want to be consumed by it too. Like the Phoenix, I long to be reborn from the ashes, cleansed and renewed.
Can you see the Phoenix in the flames?


My favourite evening is one in front of the fire with a good book, a cheeky glass of Merlot and some choccy.

*Note to the Sod's Law Fairy - I DO NOT want to be caught in a fire, have my house burn down or otherwise be involved in any kind of unwanted fire shennanigans!