Happiness lies Within

Happiness needs not be brought about by any reason. It lies within us, only one is required to dig it out. Happiness once achieved does not only affects people surrounding the achiever but it also somehow subconsciously effects its bearer to great extent. Celebrations, festivals, parties and ceremonies are nothing but a pretext of having happiness for a short interval of time. Yes, I believe that a minute's mirth shades off grief of years. Happiness and grief are paradox but inductive in nature. It is a well known idea that one should pass his time with some happy people and not with the people who are swimming in the pool of despair, perhaps caused by their action or thinking. The only reason behind it is that both, happiness and grief are inductive and gets easily infused to the people in the company of their bearer. I believe it and do support it. However, if this fact is well accepted by every people then the time is not far that there will be a creation of two categories of people, sad and happy. If so happens then where this sad people will go and and whom these happy people make happy. I was just pondering over it... If all the happy people make a resolution and then make an earnest effort to make all the sad people to be like them then will not be the world marked by the idea of mutual cooperation, compassion and relationships.

I am from India as many of you all know, India is a country of diversity where different kind of people dwell having different cultures. Few countries in the world have such an ancient and diverse culture as India’s. For the majority of Indians, religion takes over every aspect of life, from commonplace daily chores to education and politics. In India there are many festivals which are celebrated. HOLI is one of the most enjoyable festivals celebrated in India. Holi is a festival of colors. It is a festival that ensures freedom to everyone who plays it. Woman especially in India enjoy a degree of freedom during the festival which is not otherwise available to them routinely.




Today I played Holi with my friends.


It was really a great fun. The importance of festivals is well understood by me now. To me it had been a greatest fun I had ever had. I am sure you can wonder why I talked about happiness above. I was just trying to exaggerate on the idea of being happy after having found a way to do so. It was really a moment when I enjoyed like anything. I ran, laughed, played pranks, titillated friends and even cracked jokes to make everything possible that may make the moment great.

So, I think is HOLI made for me to be happy, or in another way round is it necessary to fix a date when one can remain happy?.. I say, NO... can't we make every moment joyous. A great man said "you are the product of your thinking". Truly he is not wrong. There is a mental block in most of us that we can't be happy if there is no reason to be. Happiness should be incorporated in every action. If a person is not happy while donating fund to a charity then what's the use of it to him, If someone is not happy after stealing then it can never help him as this action of his was perhaps under compulsion. This was all I thought about shortly.

Before really stopping to write I would like to have the readers go through the quotes below by some great men.

• Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be- Abraham Lincoln
• You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life - Albert Camus
• Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others- Buddha

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Why Would I want to Live in the Now?

I always loved to listen to this song as a young teacher in Kamloops. It was a favorite and still is. But. To the question: Why Would I want to Live in the Now?

Because the Now may be all I have.

Living in the past stagnates us. We cannot live in the past as if the things that have already happened will happen over and over. Why revisit all the hurts and deceptions? Why revisit the bad times? Then again, we have had good times too. So, why not revisit them? It is good to remember them, but we cannot relive them. Embrace the good memories and enjoy the good feelings they bring back. But don't live there either.

Just think about the things happening in our lives now. So much excitement, so much progress. If we stay in the past, then what are we gaining from Now? Nothing. There is so much out there to experience, make new memories with and have a wonderful time living and learning.

So what's wrong with living in the future? Apart from the fact that if it has not yet happened, it may never happen. We can look ahead to the future. I am not saying that we cannot have one. Far from it! We will all have a future. What it will be we will know when it becomes the Now! Sure, we make plans. Sure, we decide what we want from life and make all sorts of decisions on how we are getting there. Now is when we are making all these choices and decisions. Not in the Future. We live Now. We have a vision for our future. We make plans on how to get there. We make the decisions and choices Now that will get us to our future. Live in the Now with vision. Live in the Now with enjoyment. Live in the Now for life!

The deeper reason for me is actually somewhat traumatic. My family doctor confirmed that I have early onset dementia. It is a result of the same medical issue that has been the cause behind my heart troubles too. My vein and artery walls are weak. They collapse and sometimes stick shut. When that happens around my heart, I get angina pain or a heart attack. When that happens in my brain, I lose a little bit of myself. That is what is making it so much more important to live in the NOW.

I am missing some memories. Nothing really important as far as I can remember. But I know the others might go sometime too. There is no good reason to remain living in my past watching the memories maybe disappear, maybe change as the old pathways in my brain start to shut down.

I would rather enjoy what is left of my time here in this life. So, ... I live in the Now. Making new pathways in my brain by learning new things. Making new memories in different sections of my brain. Using creativity skills that I did not know I had to beautify my surroundings. Not giving in to living in the past or trying to live in a future that is not yet here. I will enjoy my grandchildren as much as possible Now. I am taking lots of pictures for NOW. I am not dwelling on what could happen tomorrow. Living in the NOW makes life fun again. I love life in the Now. Enjoy it with me.

When you are troubled, that is when you really need your friends and family. I have mine. It amazes me more everyday how my friends accept me today for who I am Now. Not who I was 10 years ago. Not who I might be 10 years into my future. NOW.

Living and loving life

Elouise

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What is Love?

So. The questions we all ask ourselves. What is Love? How do we know it is Love? will Love live forever? ...

No one person can answer all of those. But if we look within, we find what Love is for us. I have been thinking on this topic for a while now. How can one come to grips with it all? There are so many facets; it is like a very large diamond. Or maybe a million smaller ones. Where do I start?

I start with the love I married over 40 years ago. That was special at the start. It has changed over the years, but not by becoming bad, just by becoming different. I would not trade those 40 years for anything else. I have 3 beautiful children because of that love. I have 2 grandchildren (so far) because of that precious love. I am settled in that love. I am in love with love.

Soulmates. Recently I met a soulmate. That Love is different. It has a passion unlike any other I have ever felt. It has intertwinings of thoughts that do not exist anywhere else. I don't know how many soulmates we can find in this vast world of ours, but, for me, one great soul mate is all I need. We fulfil each other in ways no one else can. We understand each others feelings with a depth no one else has. We understand our moods, our thoughts in harmony. We can feel what each other is feeling without even being in the same country. There are no bounds. Everyone needs a soulmate. I am extremely happy that I found mine.

Then there is Love we, as parents, have for our children. We find we want to protect them, help them to avoid the same pitfalls of life that we have ourselves fallen into. We want them to be happier than we were through all the different stages of our lives. We want only the best for them. We want to protect them. We want to stop anyone else from hurting them. We want to fight all their battles to save them from harm. We know, deep down, that we cannot do it all for them. We have to allow them to try, to get hurt, to laugh, to meet people, to attempt their own lives. They have to learn to live, to love and to be happy on their own. We can always be there when they need us. But above all else, Love can not be used to smother! That is the most important lesson that parents can learn. And the hardest too.

Then we have special friends. Yes, I love many people, in many different ways. My special friends are the ones that I can lean on. They are the ones I can say anything to without fear of being ridiculed. They are not afraid to hurt my feelings by telling me the truth. But they know how to cushion it so I can learn from what they say. They will not order me to do things I feel are not right. They will offer great suggestions when I reach a crossroads and don't know where to turn. They are the ones I can laugh with and cry with. They hold me up when I can't, but they let me down gently when it is time to go on my own. They are my greatest support.

So. Are there any more kinds of Love? Yes. Each friend we meet, each person we wrong, everyone who touches our lives we love in some way. It does not always feel like love, but if we are taking the time to interact with them, then there is a type of love there. We all have within ourselves the ability to love. It is ours to use and to spread. We have a need to use this love. The more we do so, the better our lives get. I am not saying bad things don't happen. What I am saying is when bad things happen the Love of our families, our special friends, even our acquaintances helps us to overcome.

To me, Love is a many faceted jewel. One that will shine on forever, no matter what happens. Full of different colours! Lights up our lives and makes it more lovable. Where would we be without love? I don't know. And I don't want to find out.

Let the rainbows shine on forever!

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Reply to Entertainment.

I agree with the premise that entertainment can be used as a tool to impart knowledge, or propaganda. I wonder sometimes though if we humans have a tendency to read far too much into the twists and plots of a movie.

We watch a movie and then stop to think about the scenes and what they might mean. Like Anand did in his blog post. The post is a good one and makes the movie seem much more important than it was set up to be. While I mostly agree with the points brought up, I have some difficulty with a couple of them.

Never try to be successful is one I have difficulty with. You failed to define success. I am sure we could come up with several definitions of success. For example, would you classify success as having the largest house in town?, Or could it be the bank account with the most money?, Or, could it be as simple as having helped the most people in some way?. Or is it just having enough to live the kind of life you want? For me, success can be defined as accomplishing something that is important to me. Like the book I am writing detailing my family tree. When that project is complete, then I will be successful. It won't make me famous, it won't make me rich, it won't even affect more than a few hundred people, but it will be the largest project that I have completed.

Anand, you say strive for excellence and success will follow. I am striving for a very excellent book. My concern is that if I keep trying for perfection, the book may never be completed! In that case, I would not consider myself successful at all.

I like to live life to the fullest. Although I am fearful of new experiences and new things, I do not avoid them, but carry on searching for more knowledge. I love to learn. I consider myself to be a life long learner. That will only change when I leave this life. This week I am learning about enlightenment. I am adding exercise to my daily routine to improve my health. I am seeking new ideas all the time for improving my health. Some work, some don't. It is part of your life experience to learn what you can and apply the knowledge in a way that helps not only you, but others around you too. Selfishness is not an option.

I have limited faith in the leadership of industry. Money is what makes industry work. I prefer to barter when I can and share. I send my homemade jams out and receive a lot of love and advice back. I love to make the jams and jellies. I make way more than my family can eat, but I don't sell them. I trade them. I get vegetables, meals, other fruits to make more with, companionship, treats, rides to places I need to go, advice, love and appreciation.

I love life. I live to love. I live to be happy by doing what I love to do. Life is really wonderful.

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We are here for a reason.

Having a happy life is easier than you might think. I have made the decision after listening to the Dali Lama that it is up to me to have a happy life. So How do I do that? I have been thinking on it and trying some new things to see what works.

First, I discussed this with my family. All of them agreed that looking outside myself for happiness is not the way to go. Happiness is always inside you. You can be in very happy situations and surrounded by very happy people and still not feel happy within yourself. Only you can change what you feel inside yourself.

Secondly, I spoke with my friends about this. For the past few weeks, the topic has come up in many conversations. The final conclusion does not change though. We have all come to an agreement. Happiness is something you can control. How is up to each person and situation, but it is under your own control. Where do I go from here?

I have been looking at my own thought patterns. What thoughts come to my mind and how I treat them. Upon realizing that not all my thoughts are positive in outlook, actually many are quite negative, it has become important to me and my happiness to learn to control them. It is much more difficult that I expected. I suppose the habits of 62 years of life on this earth in this lifetime has ingrained some negative ideas firmly enough to make them difficult to remove. Now comes the work.

Fortunately, I have some great friends who are helping me to learn this. I have found great resources here for learning. Check out this site! The amount of knowledge to be found there is huge!

Wolfpac1

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