Hello Friends! It's been a while since my last post. Yes, I have been busy getting ready for school, making sure all my summer projects were completed, (which they weren't) and trying to get back in the mindset of working. As a teacher, we live for the summer to recharge our batteries! Now that school has started, I am struggling with time management. There doesn't seem to be enough time for everything. Work, home, exercise........not enough time and I am not even going to try to say I will get up earlier to exercise. That won't happen. So far I haven't gained anything back, but I must get moving to continue to lose. I don't want to lose momentum.
A couple of weeks ago my mom asked me if this was the best summer I have had for a long time. Of course, the answer was YES! That made me think.....when was the last time I was this happy? I'm not sure I have ever been this happy. That is certainly NOT to say that I have never been happy in my life. My life has been filled with joy and happiness, from many different sources. My family and friends have been a constant source of joy in my life. With that statement, I just mean that I don't know that I have ever been so focused and settled in my situation in life. I have let go of the anger - that happened several years ago - I am feeling confident again, Andrew is at a point in his life where he is more independent, and I am happy with the direction my life is heading. It begs the question, however, how do we know when we are happy?
Happiness is a vague word. It can mean so many things. I believe we spend most of our time chasing a happiness that is abstract rather than concrete. I'm happy my bathroom floor looks clean, but that doesn't mean it made me happy to have to mop it. When we are young, it seems like there is a laundry list of things we must do or achieve to reach our eutopic happiness. Then you mature and realize the things on that list aren't really the source of our happiness. Some make life easier, like earning more money, or a job that you love, but most aren't really the source of the happiness. I think a lot of my happiness right now comes from the wisdom that I can stop chasing that elusive paradise. Happiness is today, right now, knowing that I have a job, a comfortable home, people I love and people who love me, enough money in the bank to survive the month, and my health. Happiness is a state of mind, not a thing.
Yes, I know I'm not the first person to write this. I have read it countless times in magazines and books. Maybe it boils down to maturity. Maybe happiness is being mature enough to realize all the other stuff doesn't matter so much. I guess lots of people just never get there. That's why older people aren't in such a hurry, they have it figured out that the joy is in the journey, not the destination..........Hmmmmmmm.
Heading downstairs now to make some necklaces. That makes me happy. Several new designs. Let me know if you would like to see. Have a great week and weekend. Enjoy your journey friends! I am! Until later, Julie
