Happiness…why are so many people searching for it?

Sometimes I feel guilty for being happy. Sometimes I feel naive for being happy. Why do I feel this way you ask?

I see a multitudinous amount of people desperately seeking happiness. They read books on happiness, and they perilously seek supports and strategies for living a happier life.

Why has happiness become such a complex concept?

Is it the technological distractions and the complexity of life as we know it?

Is it the lack of relaxation in our oh-so-busy lives and inability to stop and smell the roses?

Is it our overloaded social schedules that we feel pressured to uphold in order to sustain normalcy?

Is it the constant envy of celebrity bodies, lifestyles, or wealth due to the over exposure to their lives? (Thanks a lot paparazzi!)(Does she look happy? I don’t think so! Poor girl hasn’t eaten in months!)

So, why do I feel guilty when other people are seeking something that has generally come very easily to me? Is it my “motherly” instinct that has me so concerned with the contentment of others?  Is it my harmonious Libran characteristics?

In light of these thoughts that have been boggling my mind for months; I’ve decided to list a few things that bring me happiness. In turn, I hope this will inspire others to reflect on their own lives and appreciate the little, simple things in life. Well, a few modern technologies do bring me overwhelming joy which can not go unnoticed.

(The following list is in no particular order. Most of these things bring me equal amounts of joy.)

The beach, otherwise known as “the shore” to us Jersey residents.

There is nothing that brings me more serenity than the Jersey shore. It’s therapeutic. The smell of the sea air, the feeling of my feet in the wet sand, and the plethora of Vitamin D sends me to a castle of contentment (no pun intended, well maybe a little).

“The waves of the sea help me get back to me.”

-Jill Davis

My girlfriends.

(Photo courtesy of Lucidfoto)

(Some friends not pictured due to the fact that it would take weeks for them to approve any photo published on my blog! You know who you are and I still love you.)

There’s something about the company of your friends. It is filled with a myriad of emotions that are all priceless.

“A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself.” -Jim Morrison

“A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.” -Arnold H. Glasgow

Laughing.

Laughing soothes the soul. It brings people together, even strangers. Anyone who knows my father knows that laughter is above all…contagious.

*My son has inherited that contagious laugh!*

“A laugh is a smile that bursts.”
- Mary H. Waldrip

My family. Yes, all of them. Too many to mention, and too many pictures to add. You know who you are. The Roots, along with the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba, say it the best.

Writing, or shall I say typing, my thoughts and feelings.

Call me Carrie, but I love to bang the keys on my laptop. I love to talk to myself, in my head, as I write. I love to drink a glass of red wine and see what comes to mind as I unwind (didn’t mean to rhyme so much-must be the wine).

I love to write in different atmospheres to see the affect of my environment.

Grammar courses bring me glee, writing classes consume me (in a good way), and the challenge of writing in different genres brings me shear jubilation.

Music. I said it best in a poem I wrote about my collection of music that is stored in my IPOD.(I cannot believe I am posting a piece of my poetry by the way!)

Music Box

A box where life’s stories are stored.

Some call it a pod, but I call it a box, my music box.

The music inside is the key to my heart

The songs that play unlock my soul.

Play list by play list a story is told.

Every song has a purpose.

Memories are awakened and nostalgia is released

Who needs meds when you have music?

My prescriptions consist of Dave, Jeff, Jack or Ben.

They are my “happy pills”.

Bad days do not last; Dave will make it better.

Afraid to be single; no worries, “Freedom” will give you a boost.

New job? Don’t stress, Biggie will get the vest.

New baby on the way; tell Billy all about it.

Music shifts the seasons.

“School’s out and it’s sort of a buzz”

Songs unite a country.

“I’m proud to be an American”

Music stimulates self-confidence, exposes empathy,

Retires relationships, achieves aspirations.

A new song on the box soothes my mind

It makes me sing loud, obnoxiously loud, if it lets me.

Sometimes savvy lyrics sing to my soul.

And the music in my box takes me back

To the days that never happened,

But they happened today.

Music; “I’m so glad our paths crossed this time today on our way into the night.”

I’m in love with the music that comes from my box and sets the mood for every scene in the script of my life.

-Rebecca Gillis, 2009

Although there are many other things that deliver happiness to my life, these were the few worth mentioning. My life is far from perfect! I am very far away from my career and life goals, but I’ve learned somewhere along the way just be happy being me, no matter what. That’s all you can expect of yourself. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Just a thought.

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