“I just want to be happy”. I have thought this, said this, and heard others voice these words. Recently I have been asking myself the question, “What does it mean to be happy?” Now while alot more questions came back at me than answers, what did settle in my bones is the realization that happiness, for me, isn’t the absence of sadness. In fact, it isn’t the absence of any of the less than desirable emotions like anger and fear and all their dreaded cousins. Happiness, for me, speaks to more of a framework than a one and done emotion. Now I will reiterate these are my own musings and I recognize this framework may not resonate with everyone. So take these words in the glitter like energy in which they are given. Glitter can be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, much like my thoughts on any given day. (But I digress) Happiness is the authentic and vulnerable dance with gratitude. It is the awareness that throughout our time here on this spinning ball there will be challenges, triumphs, disappointments, and moments of breathtaking joy. Happiness is the ability to embrace the wholeness that is encompassed in all of these possibilities and emotions that come along for the ride. It is in this embrace that we truly see the freedom that comes through releasing our white knuckle grip, relaxing our to do list, and breathing in the magic of possibilities. For me this is happiness, at least for now, and now is all we really have.
Rev. Ryan