Even people with the happiest of happy dispositions navigate a world full of chaos. We do jobs that aren’t filled with tasks that bring smiles to our face; we have relationships full of ups and downs; we search for answers to all sorts of difficult questions; sad things happen to us and the people we love; uncertainty is a cloud that follows everyone; and we meet people who just try to push our cranky button.
Why? Because this is everyone’s life. The difference in either the naturally happy or the learned happy is that we try to accept, understand or learn from the chaos. That’s what makes life happier: navigating the chaos with a sense of purpose.
But in the middle of our happy but chaotic filled life, there are many happy moments that we just take for granted. We have common ones: breathing, walking, running, thinking new thoughts, laughing, seeing a sunrise and the full moon, hearing words, songs, and birds chirping, the feel of a hot shower or hug, feeling–even when the feelings aren’t so happy, and especially when they are happy. Most of these are miraculous experiences that we get for just being human.
If we literally counted each of these taken for granted moments of happiness, how many more happy moments would you have in a day? I’m willing to bet, more than the chaotic ones.
Tomorrow morning, when you wake up and stretch, and take a deep breathe, think, that’s two happy moments that I usually take for granted most days. Wow, what a happy way to start the day.
Tags: Happiness Happens Month; HappyThon 2010; Taken For Granted; Happiness
