Today I am sick, but last week I was healthy. I used to have a father and a sister, but now I do not. I have made some amazing friends in Houston, but just a few months ago I had yet to meet them. I am currently no longer in a relationship, but in the future I will be. Last year, I felt so upset after losing my job and house; this year, I have my dream job and a house that feels like home.
These things of body, mind and heart, come and go, for everyone, all the time- there is not a single being who is immune to the ever-changing nature of life. Life is a short glimpse of bittersweet chaos, during which health, relationships, emotions, career and financial success fluctuate; one moment you can have it all, and in the blink of an eye it can all just as easily disappear. If ones happiness were to depend on such matters, it would undoubtedly be a very temporary and fleeting illusion of joy.
Rather, if happiness were to depend on having an unwavering sense of self-respect and understanding of what is most important in life, it is much more likely to be found. If happiness could depend on the simple joys of daily routine and time spent in play and laughter with loved ones, it is much more likely to last. If happiness were to depend on total acceptance of the present moment and surrender to the knowledge that all emotions and challenges are a normal and healthy part of being human, it is much more likely to become a part of who you are.
If you are comparing your unique self and beautiful life journey to others who have attained high levels of fame, fortune and material success, then you will almost certainly remain futilely standing by for some significant moment in the future to attain happiness- happiness that has a high likelihood of one day slipping through your fingers and fading just as quickly as it arrives.
If happiness was determined through experiencing the truth of your true Self as separate from your mind and life situation, you would inevitably feel a deep sense of inner peace and connection to all living things. You would, of course, still be enthusiastically pursuing your goals and vivaciously working towards achieving your dreams, but your happiness would no longer be dependent upon it or attached to its outcome.
Every single thought and situation which occurs, comes about through a gentle love and powerful intelligence of the Universe, and only the unshakeable knowledge that nothing is lacking in this exact moment will bring about a happiness that radiates from the inside out, and can never be taken away.
“Underneath the scars and wounds of yesterday’s sorrow,
Behind the noise of the mind’s tomorrow,
Buried deep within…
Lies the gentle, ever-present, most radiant
Light of Joy.”