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Today's
Meditation:
I can think of a nice long list of things that I'd be
happy to have. But to me there's a significant
difference between being "happy to have"
something and needing those things to be happy. And
when I think about it, I believe that one of the reasons I
feel pretty happy without those things is that since I
don't have them, I have something to look forward to,
something that I can work towards, something that I can
aspire to. And with most things, it's the process of
getting them that's much more rewarding than actually
having them.
I've been one of those people who yearns and yearns and
yearns for something, working hard to get it, almost not
being able to wait until I finally attained it. And
then when I had it, I would play with it for a day or two,
then almost completely forget it. (And yes, even as
an adult I have to use the term "play"-- I have
to be realistic!)
Nowadays, though, I'm more likely to just enjoy the
ride. If I decide I want something, I start working
towards it and do my best to enjoy the work. The
funny thing is, very often I enjoy the work so much that
my desire for the thing I wanted goes away, as I find that
I'm pretty happy without it.
And of course, there's also the side to this story that
says that sometimes the things that we want are things
that will end up being bad for us. . . and it's a very
good thing that we don't get them. The problem is
that we usually recognize the positive side of this in
hindsight, and we spend time being sad or angry that we
haven't gotten what we wanted.
We all know that happiness isn't about having.
Happiness comes from our own thoughts and our own
perceptions of our lives and all that contributes to those
lives. Doing without some of the things we want can
help us to appreciate the things we do have even more, and
it can help us to make some changes in our lives that can
be very, very positive as long as we're careful about what
those changes are!
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