There’s a happiness sometimes that arrives unbidden.
Not sought after, not hungered for or forced.
It just rises up from somewhere and all I know is the flow of the feeling in whatever I’m attracted to doing, or not doing.
There’s no pressure, determined focus or any such thing, it seems to visit when all I’ve done is sleep when tired, laugh when happy, eat when hungry, put my load of worries on a shelf (we all have worries, but do we need to carry them all the time??) and take the time for laundry, or baking, or sitting by the sea shore or anything really that keeps it simple. At that point, the strong wind is less bothersome, starts to feel more like a soft breeze, rain replenishes thirsty skin and garden, sunshine becomes a caress while flowers dance their vibrant colours. Even the ants infiltrating the kitchen (again!!!) are less irritating. I know they have to be dealt with, the state of peace and happiness won’t let me forget some of life’s responsibilities. As I look down at the busy trail, a memory of a dream from the preceding early hours comes to mind – the period that may be delivering important advice. In the dream I had to remember to buy a pack of cinnamon powder. Easy then to understand that’s what I must do, in order to douse the front step and deter the wee critters from bothering my peaceful morning……..
Switching gear, I start pursuing another dream segment. To the one that may or may not have happened, the one that tells me categorically to revisit the cafe I was at recently and order another bowl of delicious chocolate ice-cream, with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top. Probably only wishful dream thinking!… but it’s a nice thought and a dream I may assist in reaching fulfillment.
When the free flowing feeling arrives, the one that’s not connected to anything external, the quality of the feeling holds, for me, greater value. It’s happiness for no reason. For no other reason than ‘I’m happy’……. Peacefully, happily, happy….. That’s not to say the externals can’t also bring high levels of joy, peace, happiness or satisfaction, there’s so much in our days that can do that. Currently my lemon tree bears promise of blossom, I’m checking the buds daily and hoping for a crop of fruit later in the year – it can be something as simple as that. The neighbouring apricot tree is already bountiful and waits for the June sun to ripen her harvest….. A grandchild’s smile or funny word can bring rewards beyond words, but what of that special happiness that simply settles in us and washes through, the one for no reason?
Always a surprise, always welcome and as elusive as a bar of soap in the bath! How then to encourage, if that’s the right word, the happiness for no reason experience? Awareness of where we place our attention helps, not getting tied up in the unnecessary and the unsettling, not being overly concerned by matters out-with our control all help maintain an inner balance. Or maybe it’s in taking a bit of quiet time……..sleep when tired, disengage from over stimulation of the mind, eat when hungry, laugh (a lot) and enjoy some chocolate ice-cream.
In my client sessions I help pinpoint areas where inner chatter and excessive outer focus can be reduced, it’s different for everyone but for all of us there’s always a need to quiet the mind to some extent. In what appears to be merely a conversation (it’s so much more when my undivided attention is focused on someone’s growth and well being), I bring healing and awareness to habitual thinking patterns, especially the ones that begin with, ‘I’ll be happy when/if…….’ Fresh awareness develops, thoughts are transformed and the idea permeates that it’s possible to just be happy, for no reason!!! And like magic, there it is – happiness.