PRESCRIPTION
Friday Oct. 17, 2014
Think more about happiness.
Less about unhappiness.
Is that conscious, environmental … our view of the world, of ourselves?
Can we will ourselves to be happy?
Or is it simply the act of being happy?
Smiling at things that make us smile, laughing at moments that are funny, enjoying people who are enjoyable – all without judgment, without agenda, without anything but the intent and will to enjoy. Imagine – just imagine – if we did that enough, did it daily, if it might become automatic.
An auto-pilot of happy …
And, what is our non-conscious mind working on?
It works 24/7 … but works hardest and likely best, when we are sleeping.
Sleeping on it. Sleeping through it.
What, exactly, are we sleeping through?
Probable internal debate playing – old tapes, replaying learned behaviours – knees not jerking, but every emotion that made those knee-jerk judgments in full-play mode. We aren’t awake to intervene, or offer discussion because we are old cold, letting our brain do the work.
We wake up. Our unconscious brain keeps working. Then, when we are feeling conflicted about what to do, when to do it, what to say, when to say it – we are caught between urges and self-talk to bite our tongue … and that irresistible urge to blurt out exactly what we are thinking.
Like a child does.
Like a happy child does.
We need to call out when we hurt.
We need to laugh out loud when we are happy.
Take two belly-laughs and a glass of juice … call me in the morning.
Seeing GW’s comment made me smile – whole new slant on that term nest egg.
Mark Kolke
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: 0C/32F, clear and calm – we did a long jog as traffic was really starting to him (earlier than I expected) which strikes me as odd for a Friday. Gusta seemed to like the idea I was running with her instead of on the treadmill at the gym which was great for me, but I missed my time in the steam room!
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
Happiness is elusive for most people. I believe that is because they ask other people about what makes them happy. Each person's happiness is as individual as they are. Your happiness is not necessarily what makes me happy and visa versa. It is good to look inside oneself and reflect on those moments in one's life when they were happy and what their state of mind was at the time. I have found that for myself eliminating a lot of the superfluous stuff in my life makes way for more happiness. Less to focus on and more to enjoy, so to speak. Living the country life has made me happier than I remember in years. I have grown to become less anal, less OCD, less perfectionist motivated and I find pleasure in the simplest of things; like 3 eggs in the ducks nest. It turns out we got one of each gender in our two ducks. Sunshine, the huge female Peking duck and Shadow, the iridescent green mallard mix male. Anxiously awaiting the hatching to see how the ducklings will turn out. Happy, very happy! GW, Bon Wier, Tx.
