I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of the word happiness recently. We all claim to want it even though a lot of the time we are not quite sure what it actually means. And most of us don't even take the time to think about it properly.Even if we do, how much of our own individual happiness is within our own control? Of course some things in life happen as a result of our own decisions, but a lot of the time we are just reacting to things we have no control over at all. It's because of this that the concept of happiness can often seem illusive.
A wise person said to me recently that the trick was to distinguish between those things we could change and the things that we can't. Once we have done that, happiness can best be achieved by learning to accept the things we can't change and doing something about the things we can. At the very least it's a good starting point.
I've also learnt that being wise does not mean being old. This evening I encountered true happiness right next to me at the kitchen table. It involved Minttu, a chocolate ice cream and lots of mess. And that's all. Which means that sometimes the solution can be a lot simpler than at first it may seem. Ice cream anyone?
4 comments:
Hei Jody! Mintun jäätelöstä muistui mieleeni pääsykoe Lastenlinnaan(sairaalaan ja lasten päiväkotiin vuonna 1970 oikeuttavaan koulutukseen),jossa psykologian testeissä oli jatkaa m.m.lausetta: suruuni... Jouduin vastaamaan henkilökohtaisesti myöhemmin VAIN sen lauseen jatkoon psykologin haastattelussa.Suureen suruuni olin kirjoittanut syöväni ison annoksen mansikkajäätelöä.:)Sydänlämpöiset terveiseni sinulle ja lapsillesi! Hannele
Anteeksi 'näppihäiriö',kommenttini kun tuli kahteen kertaan. t.Hannele
Once you have seen people in other cultures who have basically nothing and are still beaming with joy and wouldn't want their life any other way... you understand that you are the only one determining whether you are happy or not. It's a conscious and mindful decision to be happy, not some miracle to passively wait and beg for.
Acceptance of the things we cannot change is a huge part of that.
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