Happy-ness is a relative term. You can measure it against what youve had in the past (experience), you can measure it against what youre aiming for (hopes, dreams), or you can measure it against those around you and your perception of their happy-ness level (delusional). Our current state of Happy-ness constantly fluctuates between these 3 states. I would be Happier if I had what I once had! I would be Happier if I had what they have! I would be Happier if I had what I want! I am Happy now because of what I have at this moment. I was Happy yesterday because this happened, or received that item. I will be Happy tomorrow because I know I will receive this or this will happen. People have been asking me lately if I am HAPPY. They look at my life through my Facebook postings and wonder because to them I do not “look” Happy. I was never asked during my 20 year career with the Canadian Tax department if I was HAPPY. I didn’t spend my day “documenting” what frustrated me or I didn’t like in a public forum because social media had not been invented at the time, but I probably would have (if I wouldn’t have been fired for doing it). I am following a path (of my choosing) with certain “lofty” goals. Since Happy-ness is a relative term, would I be Happy-er doing something else, or being somewhere else? That thought crosses my mind every day and I arrive at the same answer every time. With all the frustrations, the unknowns, the uncertainties, the “crap”, in my life most days, I LOVE what I do! I am MY own boss. It’s been raining quite hard all morning. I KNOW that I should go to the new house and work on the plumbing because I know that in 1 month we have to move because our lease is up and this house has been rented to someone else. The plumbing has to get done so that they can paint and tile the bathroom and the rooms we will be staying in until we finish the rest of the house. But I decided to stay home and mostly on the computer because I KNOW that things will fall into place. I DON’t stress. I wouldn’t be any HAPPY-er anywhere else. There would be other delays, problems, EXPERIENCES that would reduce my HAPPY-ness level there also (and I would probably document them there also). I AM living out MY Dream! The attached song was written by a Canadian singer/song-writer for the Winter Olympics. The athletes that went to these Olympics made sacrifices (along with their families and friends) both in time and money to reach their goal of going to the Olympics. These individuals were supported, mostly, by their family and friends because their goal was within a box that society defines as “normal”. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of athletes who made the same sacrifices but never attain their goal. Their Dreams get shattered for whatever reason (not good enough, injury, etc). My DREAM doesn’t fit within the “box” that society dictates we should have. I look back at the past seven years of my life and wouldn’t trade it with anyone. What makes my HAPPY-ness is the Couch Surfing requests I get from 20-something backpackers coming through town and HAVE to meet me because of the life I’ve documented on my profile. I get my HAPPY-ness from being in a tourist town in Laos with my son Nick who has met some backpackers who HAVE to meet his “cool” dad because he’s explained to them that I live here and have actually gone tubing in Vang Vieng. I get my HAPPY-ness from just BEing where I am in this Asian town with such positive energy where I can just observe daily life that puts a smile in my heart. I get my HAPPY-ness from waking up next to my wife and tickling her because she has this infectious laugh that ensures that no matter how frustrating or “bad” the day gets I can look back in my mind to that moment and realize that life really is good. It’s almost impossible to document all of MY HAPPY-ness moments because most of them are personal and they just “happen” constantly that I would have more postings then I’ve made today (Am I annoying enough?). I post many experiences that might seem “negative” in everybody else’s lives but for me I see life where everything is energy. Emotions are a catalyst that directs that energy in a certain direction. For me, the anger, the frustrations, are catalysts for change. I never have and never will “accept” the status quo. For that reason the “struggles” are for me HAPPY-ness moments because I see the results of change that do not get documented. My “thoughts” affect change indirectly. I see it because I am looking for it. That no one can frustrates me. For that reason every so often I write a long post explaining, re-explaining, describing, documenting, MY LIFE. Just like the athlete who has a goal of one day going to the Olympics, I do the work that I know I need to do with the help of people I’ve met, the books I read, the articles that get shared, and do not know which twist or turn will fall in my path to ensure that I DO attain the goals that I set out to achieve. I am patient because I see the gradual advance to making the DREAM come true. The athlete has funding issues, injuries, trouble finding the right coach, and many other setbacks to overcome. These are mostly commonly known by those in his life. Trailblazers have paths with more unknowns then knowns. I AM blazing a new trail. And for that reason, I AM HAPPY!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 04:31:10 +0000
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