I'm thinking Happines is like a butterfly.

[Dangerously]

I believe we all have as one of our goals to be happy. Me…I think about Happiness a lot! To me it is a very fickle emotion. I know what it is. I've felt it. It’s touched me before. But for the most part Happiness has dangled itself in front of me like a carrot, teasing me. It’s always just barely out of my reach. I often try to grasp it, only to have it slither through my fingers and escape. No matter how hard I tried, it always manages to elude me.

So I began looking at all I had to possibly to trap happiness with, my Family, the numerous friends I have, the place where I live, my job and all of the toys I have. You’d think with all of these blessings I could seduce happiness, ensnare it, and trick it to come to me. But no happiness isn’t so easily fooled, it would simply wink at me, point its finger, shake its furry head sideways, no not today, not for you, then it would laugh at me and run away. It always seemed to want more from me than what I had. I just couldn't for the life of me catch it and that frustration often led to more unhappiness building inside me.

So in my frustration I began to look at the times it teased me by letting me touch it, hold it and caress it. Perhaps there would be a clue. Like on Christmas morning, time with my boys, while they opened their presents. Then happiness would sit on my lap and we'd smile together, watching as they played. I volunteer at our local homeless shelter and God's pantry. Don't get me wrong. I'm no saint. It's for a couple hours a month on Sunday afternoons. I figure I've befriended all of the seven deadly sins at some point in my life. So I'm definitely no one special. But, I noticed while working at these places and passing out food, listening to the people tell their stories that happiness would sneak up behind me and lay his hand on my shoulder. I also cook a meal once a month at our cities Ronald McDonald house, for the people staying there. Again, it's a minimal effort by me compared to what these people are going through. Their lives are daily full of struggle and often sadness. There was a little boy staying there that had cancer. I became a friend to him. We played on the floor. We laughed and giggled together and as the months passed by, I sadly had watched him dwindle down to close to nothing. The last time I saw him, he ran to me and jumped in my arms, all frail, hairless, he looked at me and with a smile on his face and excitement in his voice, he told me he was finally going home! And even though I knew I would never see my little buddy again, it was then that happiness came to me and we hugged and we cried together.

Now looking back at all of this, I’m starting to realize that maybe all this time I’ve been going about this trapping of happiness all wrong. Maybe you can't purposely catch happiness because it isn’t meant to be caught. I’m beginning to think happiness is more like a butterfly, that when trying to catch it, it’s always just barely out of your reach but if you sit down softly, patiently, quietly it soon may alight upon you. So now I’m thinking, maybe I should quit chasing it and start experiencing more of life… softly…patiently… quietly, with hope and compassion, then maybe happiness will come to me on its own and embrace me. I know happiness is out there for me and I know it’s also out there for everyone else that’s seeking it. It’s out there, watching for us, waiting to embrace us. So the question no longer is, happiness can you catch it but more like can it catch you?

[sexysadie]

Did you write this?

[Dangerously]

Originally Posted by sexysadie

Did you write this?

Yes, I often write when feeling a bit down. Helps me to get it out.

[hortysir]

Originally Posted by Dangerously

I believe we all have as one of our goals to be happy. Me…I think about Happiness a lot! To me it is a very fickle emotion. I know what it is. I've felt it. It’s touched me before. But for the most part Happiness has dangled itself in front of me like a carrot, teasing me. It’s always just barely out of my reach. I often try to grasp it, only to have it slither through my fingers and escape. No matter how hard I tried, it always manages to elude me.

So I began looking at all I had to possibly to trap happiness with, my Family, the numerous friends I have, the place where I live, my job and all of the toys I have. You’d think with all of these blessings I could seduce happiness, ensnare it, and trick it to come to me. But no happiness isn’t so easily fooled, it would simply wink at me, point its finger, shake its furry head sideways, no not today, not for you, then it would laugh at me and run away. It always seemed to want more from me than what I had. I just couldn't for the life of me catch it and that frustration often led to more unhappiness building inside me.

So in my frustration I began to look at the times it teased me by letting me touch it, hold it and caress it. Perhaps there would be a clue. Like on Christmas morning, time with my boys, while they opened their presents. Then happiness would sit on my lap and we'd smile together, watching as they played. I volunteer at our local homeless shelter and God's pantry. Don't get me wrong. I'm no saint. It's for a couple hours a month on Sunday afternoons. I figure I've befriended all of the seven deadly sins at some point in my life. So I'm definitely no one special. But, I noticed while working at these places and passing out food, listening to the people tell their stories that happiness would sneak up behind me and lay his hand on my shoulder. I also cook a meal once a month at our cities Ronald McDonald house, for the people staying there. Again, it's a minimal effort by me compared to what these people are going through. Their lives are daily full of struggle and often sadness. There was a little boy staying there that had cancer. I became a friend to him. We played on the floor. We laughed and giggled together and as the months passed by, I sadly had watched him dwindle down to close to nothing. The last time I saw him, he ran to me and jumped in my arms, all frail, hairless, he looked at me and with a smile on his face and excitement in his voice, he told me he was finally going home! And even though I knew I would never see my little buddy again, it was then that happiness came to me and we hugged and we cried together.

Now looking back at all of this, I’m starting to realize that maybe all this time I’ve been going about this trapping of happiness all wrong. Maybe you can't purposely catch happiness because it isn’t meant to be caught. I’m beginning to think happiness is more like a butterfly, that when trying to catch it, it’s always just barely out of your reach but if you sit down softly, patiently, quietly it soon may alight upon you. So now I’m thinking, maybe I should quit chasing it and start experiencing more of life… softly…patiently… quietly, with hope and compassion, then maybe happiness will come to me on its own and embrace me. I know happiness is out there for me and I know it’s also out there for everyone else that’s seeking it. It’s out there, watching for us, waiting to embrace us. So the question no longer is, happiness can you catch it but more like can it catch you?

[sexysadie]

Originally Posted by Dangerously

Yes, I often write when feeling a bit down. Helps me to get it out.

Well, you're very good at it, to say the least. You've reached across this page and touched my heart, and I'm sure you've done the same to many others who have read these words. I just want to say bravo my friend!! For not only the words that have warmed me, but for the gift of thought, you've given us all something to think about...thank you. As long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading...

[stevent222]

Really wished that I had the writing capabliles of you Dangous. I know that I have what I want to say in my head but it's just getting it out and putting it in a way that you do that I lax. Cause I happen to know many happenings that I think would interest others. Well then again that would happen to be be if they had the sames ideals as myself and sense of humor too.

[hortysir]

Just means you'd have more in common, Steve

[squirt]

in my mind, happiness is not something that can be found on the outside, true happiness lies within us, it's a conscience choice made every single day to count our blessings instead of dwelling on what we don't have, it's seizing the moment and living in it, instead of worrying about what the next moment may bring ... May God Bless us every one ...

[hortysir]

Thank you for that, Little Timmy

[squirt]

brat lol