“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” – Guillaume Apollinaire
I realized the other day that we spend so much time “trying” to be happy, that we forget about all the little things that already provide our lives with joy.
Simple things like sitting on the back porch on a beautiful sunny day – lost in a sea of nothingness, as you allow yourself to just be happy in the wonders of nature. My wife and I did this just this morning over a cup of coffee and the sound of birds chirping in the background.
Or watching a young child play superhero in the backyard – engulfed in a world of pretend, while entertaining their spirit of imagination. Watching my young nephew brings back memories of my own childhood and often puts a smile on my face and happiness in my heart.
Or that feeling you get when you arrive home – a place filled with comfort, security and hundreds of pleasant memories swirling around one room after another. Home is a place where we can truly be ourselves – able to be as silly as we want without judgement or criticism from the outside world. No matter what kind of day I may have, no matter how difficult, coming home provides me with instant happiness time and time again.
And there are many more reasons to “just be happy” in our lives, if only we understood that it’s rarely the grand moments of life which provide us with such a feeling. No, it’s often the little moments which offer the continual happiness we so often take for granted.
When was the last time you hit “pause” and said “thank you” for the happiness you already have?