Friday, January 30, 2009

Happiness is...

It is now ten months since we arrived here in Gozo to live, I am being asked by friends, family, acquaintances, is it what you expected, have you found your nirvana, have you found happiness.

I think that we (humans) always think that happiness lies with something we have yet to find or own or experience, and we look for that one thing that will give us happiness. Like if only I could just afford to buy that new sports car, or take that dream holiday, buy that wonderful house and 'once I retire all my problems will be over' we have all been there. But then you realise that no one material thing will make you happy on it's own.

You know I like a quote, Alfred D. Souza said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

With this in mind I have concluded that no single route nor single experience nor single object will offer you, or me happiness.

So, don't wait to lose weight, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or house, until your car or your home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until winter, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you're born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, I did, change is good. Yes we are both very happy and content here in Gozo, we hope that we don't find our nirvana just yet because it is just such great fun looking for it.

That was a bit deep for me, perhaps I should get a job as a life coach.

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right? Charles M Schulz.

2 comments:

Michael Carøe Andersen said...

So true. Im starting to realize that there life isn't better on the other side and to enjoy whatever life throws at me to my best ability.

Anonymous said...

So true Steve! Happiness cannot be found anywhere. It is - or isn't - in yourself. What a pity that so very many people don't ever get it in their lifetime. It certainly took me long enough to discover for myself...