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Posts from the ‘Happiness’ Category

Sep 14

Rhythm of Bloom

“Hoping to live days of greater happiness, I forget that days of less happiness are passing by.”― Elizabeth Bishop

“There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep. ”― Elizabeth Bishop

Letting go
Losing the unnecessary
Releasing into rest
Awakening anew
Crisp air
Colors brilliant
Fresh bloom in different stages
Some seed
Some dormant
Some bud
Some full bloom
Some potpourri
Rhythm of bloom.

“The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seemed filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster”
― Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems 1927-1979

Jul 27

Casting Seeds, Blooming Joy

“The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain common work as it comes certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.”― Robert Louis Stevenson

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”― Robert Louis Stevenson

Daily duties.
Delight.
Kindness.
Laughter.
Beauty.
Enthusiasm.
Encouragement.
Listening.
Curiosity.
Harvest only comes from planting seeds.
Tending, watering, waiting.
Joy on the path.
Cast seeds, light too.

“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy, we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Jul 3

New Day, Fresh Eyes, Open Heart

“Happiness compresses time, makes it dense and bright, pocketsized.”― Ann Patchett

“Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.”― Ann Patchett, State of Wonder

Rapt presence
Palpable gratitude
Unfinished and unfolding
At ease in uncertainty
Flowing like a river
Over, through, under, around rocks
Rhythm and current
Ebb and flow
In kindness rather than in-kind
Love, the question and the answer
Dense, bright, pocketsized
On the ground of this day
Let grace in, give it away
Channel of love.

“Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame.”― Ann Patchett, Bel Canto

Jan 15

1 Comment

Let the Sun In

“Everything is created twice. First in the mind and then in reality.”— Robin Sharma

“We are sitting under the tree of our thinking minds, wondering why we’re not getting any sunshine.” – Ram Dass

Some things do not need to be done.
Less production.
More being present in the day.
Be kind to yourself.
Deep breath.
Go with the flow for bit.
Let the sun in.

“Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.”― Matthieu Ricard, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill

Apr 5

The Art of Just Being

“It’s not about getting over things, it’s about making room for them. It’s about painting the picture with contrast.”― Brianna Wiest

“The key to finding happiness in this life is realizing that the only way to overcome is to transcend; to find happiness in the simple pleasures, to master the art of just being.”― Brianna Wiest

Nuance.
Shades.
Shadows.
White space.
Hues.
Tones.
Muted.
Bright.
Contrast.
Rarely black and white.
Nor ordered perfectly.
Allow and enter the beauty, depth, mystery, color, unfolding, cadence, symphony and rhythm.
May you allow happiness to rise right where you stand now.
The beautiful art of just being, embracing and being held in gratitude and grace.

“Happiness is not something you can chase. It is something you have to allow. This likely will come as a surprise to many people, as the world is so adamant about everything from positive psychology to motivational Pinterest boards. But happiness is not something you can coach yourself into. Happiness is your natural state. That means you will return to it on your own if you allow the other feelings you want to experience to come up, be felt, be processed, and not resisted. The less you resist your unhappiness, the happier you will be. It is often just trying too hard to feel one certain way that sets us up for failure.”― Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery

Dec 14

A Splash or More

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”― Martin Buber

“so long as you don’t mind
a little dying, how could there be a day in your whole life
that doesn’t have its splash of happiness?”― Mary Oliver, House of Light

Drop
Splash
Wave
Of happiness, joy, laughter, peace, gratitude, resilience, wholeness
In each day, moments that make up life
Someday is today
Be present while in it
No do-overs.

“The wholeness we seek lives here, with and within us, now, in reality.”― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Life Lessons

Sep 30

Simultaneously

“Love is the beauty of the soul.” – Saint Augustine

“But your ways of being in the world are not set in stone. It’s more like they are set in sand. Your childhood is not your fate. Your natural disposition is not your fate. The neighborhood you grew up in is not your fate. The research shows this clearly. Nothing that has happened in your life precludes you from connecting with others, from thriving, or from being happy. People often think that once you get to adulthood, that’s it—your life and your way of living are set. But what we find by looking at the entirety of research into adult development is that this just isn’t true. Meaningful change is possible.”― Robert Waldinger, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

May you be open to seeing the world and yourself in it differently.
Try new things.
Think fresh thoughts.
Make connections.
Foster relationships.
Life is hard and lovely at the same time.
Struggle and ease.
Light and shadow.
Gratitude and grace.
Keep the faith.
Trust the unfolding.
Begin again each day with optimism and hope.
A masterpiece and a work in progress.
Possibility always in bloom.

“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.” – Sophia

Jul 30

The Essentials

“Let the wild rumpus start!”— Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

“Life is simple. Everything happens for you, not to you. Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. You don’t have to like it… it’s just easier if you do.”― Byron Katie

Let your imagination roam, wander.
Uncharted territory.
Off path.
Allow unknowing, mystery.
Invite wonder, awe.
Embrace light, laughter.
It’s a big big big world.
Inside and out.
Explore, get lost, be found again.
Wild essential things.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”—The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Mar 7

Winter Pioneer

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu

“Happiness is a continuation of happenings which are not resisted.” – Deepak Chopra

Rain followed by temperature drop followed by trees painted in gorgeous white brilliance.
A magical wonderland on display, inviting awe and amazement.
By March, we get weary of winter, and yet, days like yesterday remind us of the beauty of winter.
In the waiting, wandering and going through is life awaiting our participation and attention.
Rather than reacting about the length of winter, we can enter the depth of quiet, preparation and slowness of the season.
Prisoner or pioneer.
We choose daily.
Take the adventure in front of you rather than the trail you’ve already been on.

“Every time you are tempted to react the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” – Deepak Chopra

Jul 3

Praise and Glory

“Nature is one song of praise that never stops singing.” – Richard Rohr

“Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.” – Sam Walton

Open arms
Eyes to the sky
Release to the possible
Let your imagination roam wild and free
Praise, glory and awe
Balm to the soul
Flight to spirit

“It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.” – Amelia Barr

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