It's easy to experience happiness on high days and at times when extraordinary things are planned. It's easy to find happiness on the days when things flow smoothly and things feel effortless. There are other days and spans of time when ease, flow, and happiness feel elusive.
I think about the days like today when I went to see my chiropractor, feeling all of my years in the body, when I got together on Zoom with a group of friends, and made a small peach tart. The water is on for tea. Not strong tea, mind you, but the leaves from this morning's cup, which hopefully won't keep me awake tonight. The sun is behind the clouds, or it might be hot in the house. It's damp. Comfortable with just the ceiling fans. I'll use the A.C. if I have to, but I don't really like the feel of it.
It's evening, and things are quiet. I think I hear some birds still singing, but the windows are closed to keep out the damp, so the sound from outdoors is muted. There's swordfish waiting to be cooked, simply, and some nice ingredients for a green salad. It would be fun to have a cocktail, but if I have one too often I don't feel my best. I'd rather share one with a friend or my daughter or my son. The steeping tea waits.
I'm looking forward to a long morning at work and to a long evening at it as well this evening. Bed will feel good. When did I start looking forward to my bed?
It's the little things on days like today. Things like the flowers I cut from my mother's garden yesterday before driving home. They sit on my dresser today, last night on my kitchen table as I wrote.
It might be that on most days it's the little things that drive our happiness. And the consciousness, the awareness, around noticing enables us to tap in and to be nourished.
A Hundred Days of Happiness is a daily writing practice that opens a landscape of discovery into my own human experience.
Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonder. She asks big questions of the small things in life..
No comments:
Post a Comment