Your Happy Place

The past week there were so many things around me that referred to happiness.  A book I am reading spoke about a child wanting her parents to buy her a new “Happy Meal” at McDonalds that she simply had to have.  She promised it would make her happy for life and she will never ask for one again.  The second one was last night at Ster Kinekor. Their slogan says : ”Your happy place”.  Not sure if it is new or not as I normally go to Nu Metro.  Then this morning when I was doing bible study the subject was about celebrating life and happiness. 

Isn’t it amazing how God brings certain things to our attention?  Sometimes time and time again until we get the message. 

We all have a “happy place” that we go to when things get tough and we don’t feel ok.  Some of the short term solutions are shopping, partying, and other things that leads to a destructive lifestyle.  Basically things you chase after that brings immediate relief.  The question is, is it the right place for or manner in which you should address this feeling?  Unfortunately when these things come to a very abrupt stop most of the times they leave you feeling even emptier than before (and not to talk about the emptiness in your wallet!!).  

The happy place that I go to from time to time is in my thoughts/mind.  More like an image, a place where I see myself at.  One for when I need to quiet down, one for feeling lonely and another one for when I am scared.  This is however not a permanent solution, just like the above mentioned ones.

This doesn’t mean that you are not supposed to do fun things in life.  What would life be without loads of fun in it?  Just for the right reason, because it is fun!!  James Kavanaugh suggested how we should live life, “I was born to catch dragons in dens.  And pick flowers.  To tell tales and laugh away the morning.  To drift and dream like a lazy stream.  And walk barefoot across sunshine days.”

The best and only way for on-going happiness is inner happiness.  That can only be achieved with help from God.  And it is not a once off thing.  You have to work on it when things are rough.  It is not something that you say “if this happens then I will be happy” or “if my situation changes I will be happy”. With that kind of approach you will never experience it or maybe only for a little while.

Like Margaret lee Runbeck says: “Happiness is not a state to arrive at but a manner of traveling".

Wishing all of you happy thoughts to colour your horizon each day!!