I am less than a month away from turning Very Old, and one of the few advantages to advanced age is knowing all the secrets of life. So I'm about to drop some piping-hot wisdom on you suckers:
The secret of being happy is to recognise your happiness.
Being generally happy in your life is not about the moments of joy or ecstasy or excitement, it's about recognising that quiet satisfaction, fulfillment and peace are the elements of day-to-day happiness.
I've been thinking about this lately, and realising that my moments of happiness are mostly supremely dorky. But without them, my life would be a grey canvas with occasional riotous splodges of colour; with them, it's a textured map of different shades. Day to day life isn't about birthdays and holidays and making out, it's about getting on the bus and having coffee and making spreadsheets. So the secret to a happy life is to recognise the things in your daily routine that bring you tiny joy.
Like I said, my list is pretty dorky:
- Putting a new desktop picture on my computer
- Hearing the French girl at the coffee cart call me 'honey' in her adorable accent
- When my public transport card gets low and then automatically updates up to $50 (no idea why this makes me feel so satisfied)
- Arranging my bottles of nail polish before choosing a colour
- A freshly cleaned-out handbag free of receipts and lolly wrappers
- Turning over the calendar to a new month and seeing a new Matthew Scott illustration
- Cleaning up my work desk so that all the papers are in piles, notebooks stacked and pens in penholders
- Seeing a new window display at the bookshop on my walk from the bus stop
- Getting home and putting on my comfy pants to signal that I am chillaxing now
- Getting home and putting on my pyjamas because I am chillaxing too hard even for comfy pants, I am chillaxing SO FUCKING HARD RIGHT NOW
- Making a list
7 comments:
A full fridge after grocery day.
First drink of water after exercise.
The sound that lack-of-computer-whirring makes.
you are FULL of wisdom. I should rub your belly for good luck.
Great post!
Here's my list:
- Putting on my freshly washed and dried, clean and crisp yukatta(japanese cotton bath-robe/pyjama robe) after a shower.
- Getting into bed with crisp and clean bedsheets.
- Sneezing (yes I love sneezing).
- Blowing my nose.
- Recieving a letter or package in the mail (that is not a bill, junk-mail etc).
- Researching and making bookings for trips.
- Looking at shoes.
- Op-shopping.
- filling out forms(!?)
K
Suzanne: You stay away from my belly! Water after exercise = brilliant. And the sound of no computer is very much underappreciated!
Karen: Clean bedsheets is a perfect example, I love that so much! And yes, I really love filling out forms too. I was disappointed the Census was so brief!
A wise lesson indeed, Jessica. This post was great! I hope more wisdom is in store in the lead-up to your birthday.
- First swig of water in the morning.
- Waiting for the kettle to boil for a cup of instant coffee.
- The satisfaction felt when I bother to make my bed at the beginning of the day or before I leave the house
- Penciling/penning a rough comic and it coming together nicely.
- Sun shining through my bedroom window.
- Driving in my car listening to a good song. This is actually BIG I've discovered this year.
- Getting the direction of the card right in the EFTPOS machine at a transaction.
- Napping in the afternoon.
- Seeing a friend.
- Receiving good postage.
- Going to bed on the rare occasion when I'm comforted by the thought I don't have to wake up super early.
Tristan: That's a great list! I'm glad you enjoy my wisdom ;)
Great post!
I enjoy
-receiving a parcel I've been waiting aaages for
-conquering yet another word-limit milestone
-being warmed by the sun
-when my three-day migraine finally leaves
-getting an email from a friend
-drinking a really good cup of coffee
-giving a present to someone
It's so important to concentrate on the good things in life :)
Sarah: Oh man, that feeling when a migraine or bad headache goes away... you feel like you're floating around! Nothing feels as good as not having pain.
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