Happiness Is WHAT?
Happiness is WHAT? What is it like to be happy? Are you HAPPY? We are entitled to the “pursuit of it” here in the USA. I have read numerous books by credentialed people on the subject and all were right about what they said and yet I never got a good idea of it.
Some things I do know is that we need the necessities of life before we can be happy, then we need a group of family and friends who care for us and value us. I want this to be a short blog and a long discussion, so I won’t go into theory or state the obvious.
I think I have just learned that happiness needs the wisdom to know how to manage money and food and resources in a way that does not worry us or make us anxious. If I am happy about the food that I feed myself and my family and friends, then that is a big chunk of happiness. If I know that I spend my money in a way that supplies my needs and meets my values, that is another huge chunk of happiness. If I know I am being fair and caring and generous to others, then that is another big chunk of happiness for me. If I use my energy to work and meet my responsibilities, then that is another big chunk of happiness for me. I think that about covers it.
Happiness is a level of satisfaction with how you spend each and every part of every day, and that you know that you are lucky and very grateful to be safe and sound for another day even though everything could change tomorrow. It still seems that a satisfied mind is the key component of happiness. WHAT do you HAPPINESS IS?
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Hi Rose, happiness is a fleeting emotion, its something that is not experienced on a continuous basis……..gratitude is something we have to remind ourselves to be, to be thankful for what we have, but if we have never experienced real hardship then its hard to make comparisons between to have or have not, and really to appreciate what we do have…… I find pleasure in things albeit momentary…………contentment would be my aim….I am content when I am with my family and all is well…..so I would say if my family are happy then so am I………..but it is not realistic to be happy and content all the time…….life gets in the way….,
You are an outstanding writer and know how to explain things very well. Could I be your friend?
I would love to be your friend and you made my day. Wow. Thank you.
This old man takes a morning nap and often dreams. Today had a dream with this poem and I laughed at my self
When You Fall Out Of The Tree,
And Fall Into The Arms Of Me.
I Will Knell On My BEST Knee.
And Ask You To Marry Me.”
Happiness is being able to get out of bed and have a nice breakfast of oatmeal. How many boxes have I used in 85 years? The company after I complained modified the lid so as not to spill the oatmeal
When you reach 85 years young, Happiness is being able to get out of bed the Lord for another day o serve Him.
I believe Happiness is when the Lord has blessed you over and over. In my case, put me on a farm to live, family members to support me as my caretakers , , good health, income far above my needs. and a long life.
Sounds good.
Happy is when you clean out the closets and dispose of all the worthless things you have filled the shelves with. Found a package of Jello with a coupon on it that expired in 1938 and I was born in 1932. Also the large freezer had chicken that was dated 2009 and called about it and said it was still good so enjoyed the meal.
Happiness is hard to explain as it is a personal thing. Like we say “What maybe junk to one maybe a treasure to another.: I am happy each morning and thank the Lord for another day to serve him
I have always wondered why people I thought were happy and this true, I recall one man who attended our church and was a close friend. He committed suicide and left a note that he could not ever be happy and was a failure.
Happiness is when we stub our toe and it hurts but we happy we did not fall as our age.
Happiness is what is left after one ceases to be unhappy.
Happiness is watching Jaws, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or, Serendipity or, reading a real fun book like most of Jayne Anne Krentz, Katie Fforde, or writing a chapter that says precisely what it needed to.
It’s smiling at my darling grandchildren, daughters, and dreaming of chocolate cake.
It’s looking great my clothes and finding shoes on sale. Sometimes, my husband makes me happy. God always makes me smile.
Sometimes, it’s the cool breeze, a good meal, and my thoughts.
Ms.K
I like all those things, especially a chapter that says what it should and a shoe sale .
Happiness is, surely, different things for each of us. What would make me happy might well make others miserable.
Happiness, I believe, is a very personal thing and impossible to define because of that. All you can do is hope to experience it.
Waylander, what makes us happy may look different, but how about harmony and satisfaction
Also, I would suggest, different for all of us. Harmony to one is discord to another and what satisfies one may not another.
True, but I am talking about harmony and satisfaction from within oneself.
Harmony and Satisfaction sounds like Love and Sex They are not the same
Hello Rose,
you ask another good question in this blog and yes it is already been mentioned before;
** happiness ** is a very individual feeling.
The examples you gave are ( to my eyes ) pure luck, luck in life which brings you happiness.
Each of us gets a different slice of fortune in life and we all should be happy with what we
get and what we got.
Von MIchael, we all get a slice and that is so true, but if we don’t get enough to nourish body and soul, is it possible to be happy?
Yes Rose it should be possible but the claims one person has give the answer.
Your last line causes me the remember my trip to India. Never have I seen such deprivation and yet a generally happy people. I do believe the ability to be happy is an individual trait. Material things are of little help in creating happiness.
Happiness can be infectious I think. I am always happy, no matter what, nearly always have a smile on my face and find that other people start smiling when they chat to me, which I always take as a compliment. Don’t you think that life is what you make it? Be content with you have and make the most of every day.
I get two gifts every morning………I open my eyes 😀
( P.S. Thank you for accepting my friend request.)
It was a pleasure to be ask as a friend and a privilege to accept.
I think happiness is illusive to state the obvious, probably you do not know you were happy until after the time has past. Happiness is often confused with excitement but to my thinking happiness is a quieter more calm feeling. However this statement could be a relection of my age I suppose? It is being in a state of balance,equilibrium. True you need no pressing external needs but happiness does not need great wealth. I think it is a state of feeling comfortable in your own skin and each individual probably has a different pathway to this state of being. For me I have I think? four pathways that I’m aware of. One is out walking with my dogs, just out in nature with the companionship of my dogs loving what I’m seeing. Then it is me, in my old clothes working quietly in my garden, talking to my cherished plants, apologising to the weeds for pulling them out, hearing the birds about their business, inhaling botantical perfums. Time does not feature here it just passed without notice. Them there is a magical time, this is when I’m working on an art project and ….the force, the flow…is with me. Everything is just working out well, I do not feel time, hunger, thirst. I will work late, late into the night like this just going with the flow. I’m master of my little universe perhaps this is more euphoric than happiness??? Then there are those relaxed times with family and friends, quiet and most likely to outsiders such times could look boring and very dull LOL.
Perhaps it also has to do with accepting who you are…warts and all. Doing what you love to do and can do. I have a friend who reaches this state while out running ??? this has and now never will happen for me LOL! I even have a friend who loves shopping trips, finding an unexpected bargain is her thrill. People who exercise a lot are always telling “slugs” like myself , what a thrill they get, the endorphins they get from exercise. Never worked for me! I did play games when young and enjoyed them but straight exercise ??? When doing it from guilt and being bullied…..I’m just thinking what productive things I could be doing at this time. I get more endorphins looking at a newly weeded rockery. Which just unlines that we are all different and have to find our own ways to happiness.
For me the most important thing needed to find happiness is to be left alone to decide for myself what I want. That is a difficult thing for many to extend to an individual. I’m thinking of parents, other family members, clergy, teachers, etc.
When we are young, or students or employees, it is imperative that we conduct ourselves by needed rules. However, so often persons in authority extend their right to demand or pressure a person to comply with what they wish.
So. True
We need some freedom to make choices.
My first wife on her death bed told me how happy she was that she had married me. Said we took alot of chances as we got married at early age. She was 17 and I was 20 so had our parents sign for us. Had 6 children
Happiness is when we can see the positive in all things. Everything has two sides so why only look at the negative side of things?
When we think of all the lonely people in this world why be one of them? I write a column each week titled Lens lines –A little Religion On A Positive Note by Len Granger and it goes worldwide to 230 countries. Have a binder full of emails from everywhere where people have read the column and reacted positively. Sometimes it is only a positive comment to a lonely person that will change their view on things and improve their life. A homeless man may not be lonely if he has a dog, a box to sleep in and a place to get a free meal. For him things could be better but he is happy they are not worst.
What it takes to make a person happy depends on the person. We with much, should not speculate that others should or could be happy with less. There are many sides to most things, and that is why blogs and discussion is worthwhile for me. Everyone has a valid opinion at least for one person, himself or herself.
LoneRogue, It seems to me and I include myself here,that most of us are not courageous enough to truly follow our own path and do just what we want to do. Is it learned or imposed upon us, our perceived responsibilities? Indeed what would life be like if none of us acknowledged any responsibilities? Indeed would we really like having no responsibilities because most of us have another need, to be useful to be wanted or is that another learned behaviour….I don’t know. We do know that great artists in any art form or genius in any field, great scientists, writers, composers what ever….are seldom comfortable people to be around . Their focus is entirely on their own vision and realizing it. Everything and everyone else is second to that vision. Are such people happy? to get back to Roseinbloom’s question. They are driven and can not do anything else, they would be desperate if prevented doing what they want but happy? My inclination is to say, that their lives are not in balance, they are following their dream but at a cost.
Everything has a price, if you turn inward to do totally what you want to do…..chasing your own dreams and this has rewards but there is a price to pay too. That price could be human loneliness or emotional starvation in a way because that is another need…we are social animals.
I think Starlette has written here, that it is unrealistic to expect to be happy all the time. She is so right, you have to have some lows to appreciate the highs.Working your way through a low brings it’s own reward, you climb up to a plateau of content and acceptance with life as it is, that primes you for happiness. Time I stopped writing I’m rambling LOL.
Each of us has close knowledge of our past and knows intimately how we feel about life in general. We have all known friends or associates that are very well versed on certain subjects and having their thoughts about a decision we must make is very helpful. When I said “make up my own mind” it is with all the information that I could gather about that situation. Shouldn’t we accept that our decisions are what we think best? Asking 5 people what they think about a decision will likely produce some varied opinions. What I am saying is that in the end I would not want pressure from others to take preference over my own.
lonerogue, I understand what you are saying. If it is your life you need to be able to live it as you see fit.
That is about it, as to how I feel. Mistakes and successes, it is each of our lives to live, and unwanted influences are a complication. Their advice or influence may turn out to be the best way forward, however if we do not follow our own wants, thoughts and beliefs I believe their is lingering unease as to what might have been.
One thing I have learned in life….something happens to you, at the time you are devastated and it seems impossible. Yet a time later you realize that what happened was fortunate, it opened new doors and opportunity and turned out for the best.
rockflower, you pose a good question about self interest and responsibility. I love to read biographies and many famous or accomplished people managed to balance their interests and their responsibilities; those that did not manage to find a balance, got into a lot of trouble and dies young or fairly miserable. Also, there may be biased stories about what artists are really like. I have no great talent, but like to learn so I have always made time to go to school and/ or read and study on my own. I have added to my life in so many ways, but also knowing too much can be pretty scary at times, yet I am the type that needs to peek around the corner, or in the dark corners and then I feel more comfortable and/or can take actions accordingly.
I am glad I was born in an era that gave women choices and that I made choices that were good and necessary for me and mine.
Happiness is when we have nothing that we are concern about, I do not use the word WORRY as that is a sin. As a christian we are Blessed Not Stressed, So turn all things you may be concerned about over to the Lord Jesus Christ and he will carry your burden. So when you cannot sleep remember ” Do Not Count Sheep, talk to the Shepard”
len 1932 Having no worry or concern is one good way of talking about happiness which is a little different than HAPPY. I have learned that if I do something about what is making me anxious, I get a sense of relief and happiness. I recently discovered this and that is what I am trying to share. If we are worried about a health issue, means we need to focus on it and make a plan or just let it go and know there is nothing for us to do. I am not a traditional religious person but we all have to accept what we cannot change. If we are worried, we just do something or let it go. It is sometimes easier said than done.
rosebloom, What would you do if you were told you had cancer? Almost 6 years ago I was told I had Prostate cancer and it was stage 4 very aggressive. Doctors gave a booklet for my final decisions. I paid for my funeral and picked out a casket. Going to buried at Sacramento Valley CA VA cemetery about 1 mile from the farm where my first wife is. They set up the treatments for radiation and hormone treatments. Now just what would you do??
len1932, I would probably do what you did. Get the final arrangements done and then do what I could with the time I had left. By the time we pass 70 or so, most of us know that we need to do that anyway. Somehow, many of us live as though we are going to live forever.
With the time I had left I got remarried to my sister in law. Continued to write my weekly newspaper column, work in our large garden, travel around the US on the train, go on this computer chat, become the High School monitor connecting all the members still alive, opened a website for the High School Class with OBITS and stories about all the members. Continued to keep my Granger Family website going as had 31,000 viewers, Found some nice people on the Senior Web Chat like you to chat with
len1932, You used your time well. That is the only real choice most of us get. We don’t get to know how much time we have.
Happiness is all in the mind. We may be happy one minute and the same thing may make us sad the next
I put my concern about prostate cancer in the hands of the Lord and he said He would heal me. i accept His word and have slept very well and forgot about the cancer.+
When the Lord took me off a Navy passenger plane that crashed and killed all 46 on board when I was 26, I have been trying to serve the Lord ever since and will be 85 next month.
Hi! The bride picked up her flowers tonite! She started crying when she saw her bouquet, and gave me the biggest hug. Loved everything!!! Yay, Yay! I went to my daughter’s house this afternoon for moral support and ate 2 Nutella frosted cupcakes.
This is definitely a happiness moment, cause now I’m free!!! I can do what I want tomorrow… like hit the pool, write and cook. My poor husband has been on kitchen duty for the last week.
One thing I have learned in life….something happens to you, at the time you are devastated and it seems impossible. Yet a time later you realize that what happened was fortunate, it opened new doors and opportunity and turned out for the best.
Its said everything happens for a reason…it may not seem like it at the time, but eventually everything pans out whatever it is…only a very few stay down……
len 1932 Having no worry or concern is one good way of talking about happiness which is a little different than HAPPY. I have learned that if I do something about what is making me anxious, I get a sense of relief and happiness. I recently discovered this and that is what I am trying to share. If we are worried about a health issue, means we need to focus on it and make a plan or just let it go and know there is nothing for us to do. I am not a traditional religious person but we all have to accept what we cannot change. If we are worried, we just do something or let it go. It is sometimes easier said than done.
Starlette, I wish I could think as you do. I don’t think “everything happens for a reason”. I do know that you have to deal with what happens and make the most of it and learn some new coping skills. Some things just happen. People are in your life drama and you get caught up in their dramas, or we just happen to be out and lightning strikes us. Some, just random, others due to some plans and schemes of others.
Growing up my sister and I had to clean the house on Saturdays before we could play or go to the show or to the dime store to spend our allowance on a cut-out book. We learned we had to ‘get done’ before relaxing or having fun. We both carried this with us in later life. I call this ‘earned’ happiness. Needless to say I finish all my tasks very quickly and never procrastinate. Through the years I picked up different feelings of happiness where the same feeling came over me. To me walking into the shower with the perfect temperature of the water is awesome. After cooking a meal and it comes out as good and delicious as I wanted it to be…..awesome. A nice rainstorm with thunder on a hot summer day, big puffs of snow coming down in the winter, hearing a beautiful song with at times tears of joy. Knowing my children are making a good living and my grandchildren are feeling good about school and college….Jim overjoyed having a good golf score…waking up without too many aches and pains….many simple of these everyday things….couldn’t ask for anything more…and as someone above had mentioned, you don’t have to have loads of $ for simple joys. Amen
Rose1943, You sold like a happy woman and I am happy for you. You are special. Waking up feeling good is one that makes me happy, for sure.
I am happy to to be able to wake up each morning about 6 AM and go out in the garden for an hour. Get to see all the early creatures from bees to birds that join me.
I am glad you find joy in that.
I took a bus trip with a load of senior women when I was a widow to Reno NV. I was only man on board and they sang songs all the way up and back. I tried to sleep???? I guess I had picked the wrong bus or day to go. Won several hundred dollars then they said we are staying another hour so lost most of it. See what women can do to you????????
I am sure you enjoyed yourself very much. You protest too much. LOL
Happiness is for this old man of 85 years young is having a 2nd wife to care for me. I married my sister in law ( First wife’s brother’s
widow) She does the driving of a new car i bought for her, does wonderful cooking, and washes the clothes, cleans the house and feeds the chickens. Also goes up each week to turn on and off the irrigation water for the farm pastures. Bottle feeds a calf that was abandoned when cow had twins, Yells at me to keep me listening to her and in line. Tells me when to get off The Chat as it is dinner time?? Gives me a hug and kiss before she goes into her bedroom to sleep with her dog and I do the same , sleep with my dog. Joins me in the 1/2 acre garden as we water the summer and winter squash which we give away. Joins me in church were we give away, up to 2 tons of veg, 1,000 lbs of beef, and 300 dz eggs a year to those in need. How could an old rooster like me be any happier I ask You?????
Sounds great. You two are compatible. You both sleep with your dogs.