Short, meaningful story about Happiness. Taking a walk on a New Orleans street, Krista ponders on Happiness. How can you be happy when not all in the world is right?
My husband and I walked along a noisy New Orleans street, glasses steaming up from the humidity, our bellies full from an amazing meal.
We felt happy. Deeply happy.
In that moment, I noticed an old tendency to skirt quickly away from happy. Why was that?
Happiness is Scary. Fleeting.
If you allow yourself to feel truly happy or to receive the pleasure of an experience fully, it can trigger an alert in the brain …
"WARNING: this feeling may not last, something bad may lay around the next bend, remind them to get themselves back down here where it's safer - into content but guarded, grateful but wary."
If you allow yourself to feel truly happy or to receive the pleasure of an experience fully, it can trigger an alert in the brain …
Happy is Hard.
How can you feel happy when not all in your world is right, and when as you enjoy the jazz musicians on the side of the road drawing a crowd, you also see all the homeless people drifting, hungry-looking.
On the streets of New Orleans. Photograph © Krista O'Reilly Davi Digui
Do you have permission to sink deep into happy when you know this world is incredibly beautiful and gut-wrenchingly hard? When you've seen hardship so up close and personal in your ordinary life, so you know all too well that you are not immune to suffering - but you want to embrace the moment anyway?
Do you have permission to sink deep into happy when you know this world is incredibly beautiful and gut-wrenchingly hard?
Happy is Vulnerable.
My husband and I talked about it as we walked hand-in-hand through the market place, holding back tears.
Happy was a choice for us in that moment. Saying "Yes" to pleasure was a choice.
It doesn't mean we wouldn't trade it in a heart-beat for someone else's healing or that our hearts don't beat raw, stitched together tentatively with bits of hope and threads of faith, weak and worn in places.
It simply means we chose to be there, fully, saying ‘Yes’ to the gift of that moment and that day.
And to this day.
It means knowing and practicing, that we do not control our future but in each moment, we choose our response.
And that includes saying "Yes" to pleasure and to feeling happy.
Say YES to Happy with Krista?
Krista offers Mind-Body Support to women ready to ditch the noise of comparison, perfectionism and fear so they can show up fully to their imperfect and beautiful lives.
She helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs unearth their Voice & Vision, strengthen their messaging, and launch or grow their sustainable businesses while honoring their unique personality and priorities.
Learn how you can work with me here:
https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/mind-body-support/
Can you relate to Krista's sharing here? Have you ever had difficulty being fully immersed in a moment of happiness? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Please leave a comment for Krista below ...
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I truly understand how being happy can be scary! There are moments too whenever I feel too happy, I would think there might be unhappy happening anytime soon. And just like that I forget that I was happy. I need to learn more how to be present and put unnecessary worries aside, and just be grateful that for that moment I was happy.
Used to worry that when you become too happy something happens to balance it. Realising you are in control of your own happiness is a game changer!
Suffering from hormonal imbalance It is tedious for me to be happy. But I found a way around. I know I am best in a mood when I am outdoors in nature. So I can say one need to figure out how to find happiness.
I think it is so important to focus on the positive and change the narrative if whatever you are going through might be leaning in a different direction. You are in control of your response, just like you mentioned. Love this! Thanks for sharing!
I have a mood disorder, and staying happy gets extremely difficult during my depressed moods. I always try to find something beautiful, nature, an act of kindness, animals playing – anything to remind me this too shall pass.
I love this. I have felt it for a long, long time. You put it so eloquently into words. Thanks for sharing.
I do love your optimism. I agree that choosing happiness can be hard sometimes but it is definitely worth it.
Yes! I love this post. I have a very hard time with this. The moment I realize how happy I am often start to worry.
These are great reminders. Happiness is HARD, but so important!
I honestly sometimes forget to be happy.