lorin wrote:Dance like No one's watching
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we will be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teen-agers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It is best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D'Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special; special enough to spend your time - and remember that time waits for no one…..
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose 10 pounds, until you gain 10 pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or 15th, until your song comes on, until you have had a drink, until you have sobered up, until you die - to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Excellent. Best post of the thread for sure.
Lord Foul wrote:Most people care too much. Stop caring; let it all go, and you'll get to inner peace quicker...
I don't know ... this is unsettling to me. Stop caring? Maybe a change of focus is sometimes in order, so that we care about the
right things. But "stop caring" is like "stop being human."
Avatar wrote:I just think that our happiness shouldn't be tied up in material requirements. If you can't be happy with what you've got, getting more stuff or different stuff (or going some place else) is probably not going to be enough in the long run.
Well, if you mean
only bits of matter, then I (sort of) agree. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) most of the things we care about are made of bits of matter. My kids are bits of matter. My wife's body is bits of matter. Trying to separate ourselves from the world is not only futile and inauthentic, but also a great big delusion.
But these bits of matter are important to us for more than their sheer substance, but also in how they transcend their mere material being. I love my kids no matter how their matter is arranged. I love my wife no matter how she looks (easy for me to say when she looks so damn good
).
Being in debt sucks. Being upside down in your house sucks. Metaphysical jingos to make you feel better don't really work nearly as well as being financially secure. I feel for you Lorin. I'm still renting, but I have a plan to build a house debt-free. That will make me very, very happy.
i think too much therefore i am too much.
