Have you ever heard yourself saying things like the phrases below?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get out of high school.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get a job!\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get married!\u201d”
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I have a baby!\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when my baby can talk!\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when my child goes to school!\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when my kid is on her own.\u201d
\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I can retire\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The list goes on and on and suddenly we\u2019re old and wondering where all the years went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a beautiful teaching story entitled \u201cThe Fourth Wise Man\u201d. It is also in movie form of that last wise man and his adventures on the way; and what happened to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a story we loved to hear Dr. Bob tell about \u201cthe traveler and the tripper\u201d. So the tripper is the one who could not recognize where he was and what, if anything, he could do or what was of value in that moment he was in. Therefore he missed out on a lot that life had to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, the traveler was aware of \u201cwhat was going on\u201d in his day and was contributive to it in whatever way he saw to do that. Dr. Bob even gave us a hint of what he found to be of value and that was to not make anything important and to do, what to him, was being a good guest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said he would not be harmful to another and the main two of those was he would not commit violence on another and would not agree with them that they were a victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And finally, he said he could make a little contribution to a pleasant mood\u2014but any contribution would be small and usually pretty easy. In this way, we don\u2019t get all caught up in thinking we know what ought to be for everyone and everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found these ideas very valuable after the flood when I stayed with my daughter, then my sister and also my son \u2013 all in different states, different households, and different lifestyles. I could be respectful of their values and not impose my own. I found all of them very helpful in assisting me with the blindness to independently take care of my needs. What more could I ask for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the point for me is to be happy where I am. Within that idea is to recognize when I\u2019m setting a goal for some time in the future. It creates dissatisfaction with where and what we are in the present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps it is more realistic to see that I want to aim and go in a direction and see where it leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many see \u201chappy\u201d as a permanent state; but as I observe, it comes and goes and often depends on my attitude. Nice reason to keep my mood up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so I share this little story that illustrates very nicely what I want to remember and share with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donkey story regarding happiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a story told that a man\u2019s donkey wandered off in the middle of the night; and, therefore, he had to carry his knapsack down the road on his own shoulder. He didn\u2019t have his donkey to ride in the middle of the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he met a stranger in the heat, and he told him how miserable everything was. He was so unhappy because he lost the donkey and now he was having to walk and carry his knapsack on his back. So the stranger to whom he was telling all this story to, invited him to come sit in the shade with him. The stranger said just leave your knapsack there – – we\u2019ll sit over here in the shade and refresh ourselves. I have some water with me in a canteen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So the stranger gave him a drink and the guy was carrying on, still just as miserable as he could be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, the stranger got up, grabbed the knapsack and ran off with it. The guy, now, was in one terrible state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the stranger slipped into the bushes and waited a little bit until he saw the guy coming. Then he laid the knapsack out in the road; and when the guy found it there, he was very happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So the stranger came out and said, \u201cNow – you were unhappy because you didn\u2019t have a donkey.\u201d \u201cThen you lost your knapsack, and now you\u2019re happy because you found your knapsack even though you\u2019re in the same boat you were in when the donkey wandered off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So you see, it\u2019s really very simple to decide that we will have a different viewpoint, but if I choose to be a victim, I am obviously what the world calls unhappy, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now if I\u2019m doing something, I don\u2019t think about whether I\u2019m happy or not, but I have a certain amount of satisfaction in doing or being on the way to doing. I\u2019m now in motive, and I quit thinking about being happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So we tell people if you are trying to be happy, we\u2019ll guarantee you\u2019ll be miserable. I don\u2019t know whether you\u2019ll ever be happy or not, but if you forget all about trying to be happy, you wouldn\u2019t trade places with anybody in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Happiness is that proverbial thing\u2014the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that you can\u2019t find. It\u2019s the bluebird saying that \u201cyou can have your wishes if you can sprinkle salt on the bluebird\u2019s tail.\u201d So in other words, it\u2019s an illusion. It\u2019s a joke played on mankind, and most of us have bought it. We\u2019re trying to be happy, and who knows what it means – – and why bother with it anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there is such a thing, I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a byproduct of not giving a \u2018durn\u2019 about being happy\u2014if there is even such a thing. Who wants it anyway, it may be that all you would do is sit under a shade tree and vegetate. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever heard yourself saying things like the phrases below? \u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get out of high school.\u201d\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get a job!\u201d\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I get married!\u201d”\u201cI\u2019ll be happy when I have a … Continue reading