Happy “Happy” Day.
Apparently tomorrow is the official “United Nations International Day of Happiness”. That’s a strange concept for them to make official. What are we all supposed to do? How do you suddenly become happy just because we’ve been told it’s the day to be so?
Why is it on a United Nations list of International Days anyway?
Happiness is such a strange, intangible emotion that affects people in so many different ways, at different times of their lives and depends not only on choices, but on personality, personal catastrophes, where you live in the world, your innate character, your parents, life, love, how you choose to perceive it….the list is endless.
So I am not sure I can be happy tomorrow on purpose. Not sure it works like that?
My father always said that the pursuit of happiness, relentless though it is, is simply a matter of reducing ones expectations in life. Expect less and you will be happier.
I have finally learnt that one can’t expect happiness and you certainly can’t rely on other people to make you happy. It has to come from within. It has to want to burst out and be shared around with other people, but it can’t be too demanding. You simply can’t expect that much of others. Some would disagree with me and think that is a sad indictment of where I am in life, with a view that nothing is permanent.
“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved” said George Sand. A lovely sentiment but with that goes hand in hand the danger of being hurt by those you love. Then what? How to rebuild happiness? Sophocles said “happiness depends on wisdom” and I think he’s right. In other words – you start working out what happiness means as you get older, start reassessing and stop expecting too much. Surely it is all about hope and enthusiasm and curiosity and if you have all those things and at the same time work on trying to focus on the things that are making you happy today, in the moment (in other words mindfulness) then perhaps that is enough? It is the little things that should be making us happy – as we get older we will understand that those little things were and hopefully are the big things (including our children!).
Anyway, after mulling over what tomorrow is all about…we’ve got an eclipse to watch in the morning – that is uber exciting – eclipse glasses appear to have sold out and so they recommend that you use a colander to look through. I am going into my local park to get a good view. Do they seriously expect me to wear a colander on my head in the process? Think I’d rather burn my retinas. WHICH by the way doesn’t seem to have had much coverage. My children haven’t been told about it at school or university – about the dangers of looking directly at the sun – even through their mobile phones?? I AM WORRIED. Now, how am I going to be happy tomorrow I’ll be too busy worrying about all the damage we will be doing to our eyes. Do you think if we squint we will be fine?
