“For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Les Arcs - France
We’ve all heard the expression… “In my happy place” over the years. It usually refers to a particular location and the mere thought of a memory brings joy, hope and happiness.
This can be anything from the peaceful solace of your front porch at a lake front property. Sitting under a beach umbrella with a warm summer breeze. Or maybe even a mountain resort where the only thing between you and civilization is 10,000 pine trees.
Lots of choices. Plenty of scenarios.
Connemara National Park - Galway, Ireland
For a moment though, let’s expand upon this concept. The actual wording as found in the Oxford Dictionary for happiness is ‘The state of being happy.’ Some might say, “It’s the joy, contentment or sense of well-being.”
Either sounds good to me; however, I think of happiness as more about my frame of mind and level of contentment. It’s not the location (although this can certainly help), but more my physical & mental well-being at any point in time.
My depiction is more in the genre of “Wherever you go, there you are.” This is certainly a cliché of sorts, but let’s be realistic: it’s our choice. We are in charge of our happiness. It’s our decision and nobody’s else’s. We get to decide on happy or not(?) and any outside distractions are simply that… outside distractions.
Lake Welch - Harriman State Park, NY
Everything mountain related has been my lieu de choix. It’s where I find my inner peace. The natural beauty coupled with vast open spaces is intoxicating. It’s energy for the soul and in short… pure magic! It’s a spiritual quest best captured by the John Muir quote, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
As Winter now morphs into Spring, plenty of new opportunities abound with the changing of the guard. A new season is upon us and there are plenty of things to make me smile. I enjoy the boundless beauty of all four seasons and will continue to find my happy place on a daily basis… wherever I might be.
St. Augustine Beach, FL