March 10, 2013 ~ Happy Hour

March 10, 2013 ~ Happy Hour

"Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find."

 William Wordsworth

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling."

~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Today I am feeling abundant gratitude for the "Happy Hours" that I am learning to create space for in each day. A recent move to a town farther north has increased my commute time—a grueling hour each way on the 101 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This was causing me great unhappiness. So I have found a new route to travel, along back roads with sweeping views of rolling green hills, happy cows grazing on the grass, lakes with graceful swans-a-swimming...and the lovely daffodils in the photo above. They caught my eye as I was rounding a corner one day, and I just had to stop the car and pull out my iPhone to capture the joy of the moment. 

The other thing that caught my eye at that corner was a sign that said "Happy Hour 4-6 PM." I smiled as I thought to myself, "That's it! My commute to work is my new Happy Hour!" It's a new adventure every day. I never know what will light up my soul that will inspire me to stop and take a photograph—a rafter of wild turkeys, a mountain reflection on a still lake, a vast sea of bright yellow mustard flowers gleaming in the morning sun, or what other surprises await each morning. I feel so blessed to be discovering the "stray gifts of pleasure spread through the earth" during this new "manner of traveling."

It got me thinking about the importance of finding time during the day to appreciate the beauty around us. Some time away from the tasks of daily living to slow down, breathe a little more deeply, and really feel the wonder and majesty of this miraculous life! And if we can't go outside in nature, we can always take a few moments for meditation, allowing ourselves moments of spaciousness, to ponder, feel and experience the universe within. There are many "stray gifts to be claimed" there as well. 

It's about being present, Being Here Now, as Ram Dass would remind us, being fully engaged, senses alert and alive, in wonder and appreciation. That is where we find happiness. We can get very caught up in the tasks of the day, and in our engrained habits and thought patterns, perhaps spending too much energy on worries about the future, or regrets about the past, being anywhere but Here Now. Each moment is a new moment, full of possibility, when we are awake and aware and alive. We can create moments or hours in our day to fill with soul-nourishing experiences, and invite joy and happiness in.

May your days be filled with many Happy Hours. Many Blessings,

Joanna