HAPPINESS

 HAPPINESS

That statement seems to be very positive. And it is. It also is sometimes easier said than done for many. Really, it is all about knowing what has been found as the key to happiness. A Harvard study that has been going on for 85 years discovered that it is not money, not achievements, not success, and it is not even about where you live or the number of sunshiny days that we have. There may be some people who would argue that last point. There are therapists who see people who have legitimate depression and are prescribed seasonal therapy lamps for those who need help through depression based on lack of sunshine.

The study found that the #1 contributor to happiness is having strong positive relationships in your life. When I stop and think about it, my happiest moments are when I am with other people. The people that I love. The people that make me feel good. These people can be people in my family or neighbors, or co-workers. In general, they are people who make me feel good and hopefully being around me makes them feel good too. It reminds me of the song that Barbra Streisand sings: People Who Need People Are the Luckiest People In the World. And who is going to argue with those words. Why? Because it is true.

Some of my most happiest moments were most definitely with the love of my life. It could be alone time with him or together with him and others who made us happy to be around, whether it be family or friends. When we were going through the pandemic, we were together constantly, as many families were. It definitely was better than being home all alone. At least we had each other. And it made us happy to be together. 

When you are with those that make you happy, of course they give you peace of mind. Not so much 'the things' that will make us happy but 'the things' that people bring to the relationship. That is the true feeling of peace of mind. I know that when I no longer had Steve in my life, physically, the hardest part of healing was working on recovering "the me" that went away with him. In order to be happy this was something that I had to work on. It is a part of the grieving process. It is different for everyone. No time limits on each step of the way. It is important thought to eventually get to finding the 'you' and being happy. Our loved ones would want it that way. So let's just end on that note: