Hey there, lovely Di-hards,
Will you help me write a blog post?
Today is International Day of Happiness, as decided by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012.
I have to admit, when I heard this mentioned on the radio yesterday, in the same newscast as Malaysia Airlines, Crimea, and the winter that just won’t end, it felt… awkward. It brought to mind my eternal conundrum:
Look at all the misery in the world – what right have I to be happy? AND,
Look at all the misery in the world – what right have I EVER to be unhappy, when I am so fortunate?
Then I read the Secretary General’s message on the topic, which includes these words:
“Happiness is neither a frivolity nor a luxury. It is a deep-seated yearning shared by all members of the human family. It should be denied to no-one and available to all. This aspiration is implicit in the pledge of the United Nations Charter to promote peace, justice, human rights, social progress and improved standards of life.”
Kinda beautiful, n’est-ce pas?
So apparently, today, we are charged with pondering REAL happiness. New shoes, pretty gadgets, and video-game dopamine aside, what makes us REALLY happy?
So here are your three questions, to be answered in the comments with a handful of words each… Don’t overthink it, don’t try for a complete list, don’t worry about being fair or super-deep or organized or original. It’s okay if it’s cheesy or seemingly silly or someone already said it. Just write something that comes to mind. We know that family and friends make you happy – you don’t have to cover them all for this (unless you want to). Just be REAL.
1. What gives you a giddy rush of joy?
2. What gives you the glow of true satisfaction?
3. What makes you so happy that words don’t begin to cover it?
Please consider commenting if you have time. You know, just so I don’t look like a total loser for asking the question. 🙂
{Here are my answers, if you’re interested. 1. Dancing alone to a wicked song in my living room, seeing my son get off the school bus, a kiss that makes me dizzy. 2. Clicking “Publish”, laughing with my students, coming offstage knowing I’ve danced well. 3. Making music as part of a group, my wedding day, the moment of live birth. And my kids’ cheeks when they smile, of course.}
What are your thoughts?
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1. When a child learns to say my name and says it a lot <3
(I work in childcare infant to preschool ages)
2. ummmm…. A clean house (hardly ever happens two teens, two cats and two dogs) and ALL the laundry done and put away. Also a completed scrapbook page!
3. Surprising someone with something they would never expect and being surprised. For example once a friend flew home from BC and friends arrange to meet me for dinner and said BC friend was there. Blew my mind! I helped a similar surprise happen less than a year later and it was just as good!
Thank you for being the first to play, Amanda! #1. so great. I think it’s best at that age 😉 #2. clean house!!! So fleeting but exhilarating! #3. Awwww. That would blow my mind too.
1. so many things! connecting with good friends and good culture on facebook. stepping outside on a sunny morning. coming home to my lovely apartment. making whirley-pop! looking at photos and videos of loved ones and good times past.
2. helping a student learn or understand something, and hearing them happy. finishing a knitting project. finishing writing something i like. a good book.
3. hanging out with my niblings, having dance parties and reading books. hanging out on the balcony at the Ranch with my family. walking in the woods in summer.
YESYESYES. To all. <3 <3 <3
1. What gives you a giddy rush of joy?
just before I eat something delicious
2. What gives you the glow of true satisfaction?
people on my nursing placement saying that I’m doing a good job, and that they’d want me to stay and work there.
3. What makes you so happy that words don’t begin to cover it?
laughing with my siblings and my boyfriend under the tree on a family holiday after a big dinner and our parents are out (we’re all adults!)
or when I get home and my boyfriend is home to surprise me when i thought he was out
Thanks for weighing in, Butternut B! #1, ME TOO. #2, that’s awesome – you know they are watching you more closely during a placement than any other time, so you must be doing great work. #3, isn’t it amazing to be an adult, with adult siblings you LOVE to hang out with? Best built-in friends ever.
Wow – I’m surprised you don’t have zillions of responses to this! Who wouldn’t want to think about the things that make them happy? My delay is due to having very little internet access (often slow) and too much essential stuff to get done while I do. But I want to answer your questions. Okay – just a minute, I have to go look at them again ’cause I’ve tried not to keep them in mind so I won’t overthink my replies. Okay again! I’m back. Giddy rush of joy: Coming home from somewhere well away and seeing my husband waiting for me at the airport gate. Or stepping outside and seeing a glorious sunset or the Northern Lights or even just a blue, blue sky filled with sunlight. Glow of true satisfaction: Finishing a poem which I think is good. Sitting down and putting up my feet in front of the fireplace after a successful Christmas open house. Too happy for words: being with my family – husband, children, grandchildren, sister and hers – in a relaxed, busy, beautiful, messy time together, holiday or just a time that we could all be in the same place at the same time. And, like Emily, walking in the woods.
I love all of these, and you. Thanks for participating even in the midst of your adventures! xoxo