Tag: happiness

gratitude · happiness · inspiration

Happiness plus Gratitude Equals Overwhelming Joy

Joanne4 Comments

I have just returned from another visit to the Calm Space this morning. It feels like Káren is hosting a party over there this month, and Happiness has taken over as the host!

This week Stephanie, Linda, Annie and Anne have joined in the party, each with their own individual concept of happiness.

With all of the talk about Happiness, the happy feelings are becoming contagious! It is absolutely a state of mind, and one which is building momentum with each passing week, as more articles are added at the Calm Space.

Not to be outdone, Gratitude has made a surprise guest appearance also, reminding us all to show gratitude for what we have been identifying as those things which bring us happiness.

Yesterday morning after completing my post “My Ultimate List of 27 Happiness Finders! “ I took myself off to the kitchen to bake a pineapple boiled fruit cake, under the hungry and watchful eyes of Master Twelve, who is on school holidays. The week thus far the weather has given us nothing other than cold, windy, misty and wet days and we have had no problem at all in finding indoor activities to keep us amused until the fine weather reappears.

I had included baking a cake on my list of Happiness Is… and the end result turned out to be a cake that had never tasted better during all of the years I have baked it!

The vital ingredients required for baking my cake are fruit, flour, eggs butter, sugar and spices (and of course, the oven!). I am now realising that those ingredients, combined with the happy state I found myself in, (happiness), due to writing my post on happiness, and an overwhelming delight at seeing my son so enthusiastically awaiting the end result emerging from the oven, (gratitude), produced the most delightfully joyful results!

Therefore, my conclusion is “Happiness plus Gratitude Equals Overwhelming Joy”!

Reading through the articles on the Calm Space this month has also been a reminder to me to appreciate the times when we are feeling less than happy, as the tough times in life are a lesson to us also. Mostly, they remind us to look for the positive, even in less than desirable situations, as “every cloud has a silver lining”.

Happiness is the most inspirational of states to spend your days in. From this day forward, I resolve to offer the utmost appreciation and gratitude, for every wonderful aspect there is of my life.

I’m not usually a party animal, but from now on my intention is to attend every party that Happiness is hosting; especially if he brings Gratitude along to join in the fun! 🙂

happiness · inspiration

My Ultimate List of 27 Happiness Finders!

Joanne4 Comments

How do you define happiness? Ever given it much thought? Perhaps it’s simply a matter of flippantly commenting that you are either happy, or unhappy, without giving the feeling any further thought at all.

The theme this month at the Calm Space is “happiness” and I have been giving the feeling of happiness some further investigation myself. My conclusion is ~ happiness is a state of mind, and an extremely personal state at that.

It is impossible for another person to make you feel happy. You may feel happy when spending time with someone special to you, perhaps a person you love. Thoughtful actions from a person can give a feeling of happiness as well. Remember though, they didn’t make you feel that way, you made the decision to feel happy yourself; it was your own choice.

Yes, happiness is very personal.

Happiness arrives in my own life in a multitude of different ways. Today, I will share with you my ultimate list, (in no particular order), of things that make me happy, swell my heart, make my spirit soar and bring a smile to my face. 🙂

Happiness is…

  • Stroking my cat’s silky fur and listening to them purr.
  • Listening to my son play the piano.
  • Eating chocolate and drinking coffee, together.
  • Watching a bee collect pollen from a flower in my garden.
  • Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, on a cool winter’s day.
  • The cooling summer’s rain, hitting my hot, sticky skin.
  • Listening to the chiming of my clock.
  • My dog, leaping after the ball, when we play fetch.
  • Walking along the beach, on a winter’s day.
  • Writing a letter and posting it, the old-fashioned way.
  • Hearing the happiness in my daughter’s voice, when she talks to her friends.
  • A hawk, gliding high above the ground, in search of its prey.
  • The sky full of twinkling stars, on a clear night.
  • Hearing the sound of a child’s laughter.
  • A picnic in the park, next to the river.
  • Reading a book, with no interruptions.
  • The smell of roses and the feeling of the petals touching my face.
  • Baking a favourite cake in my kitchen.
  • A hug from one of my children.
  • The feel of the black velvet fur of my dog.
  • Cuddling up under a blanket on a cold night.
  • Eating a freshly picked mandarin, from the tree in my garden.
  • Seeing the ocean, from the back of my house, on a clear day.
  • Taking a holiday with my family, at my favourite holiday destination.
  • Arriving home again, refreshed, after a holiday.
  • Spending hours, browsing through a second-hand book shop.
  • Holding a new born baby.

Just thinking about these things makes me happy! 🙂

This list could go on forever! I’m sure you could add so much more to the list…so please do!

Don’t forget to pop over to the Calm Space also, where you will find Angela feeling grateful for happiness, Chania Girl giving up on the pursuit of happiness (fun!) and Káren declaring that it’s all about happiness! 🙂

advice · challenges · Changes · inspiration · music

Child of Mine

Joanne2 Comments

Music, at times, can give me goose bumps. Not just any music though. It has to be the right combination of tune, lyrics, vocals and instruments for the “goose bumps effect” to occur. I spoke of the music/goose bumps combination in a previous post “Time Travelling…with Music”.

Rarely does the written word have the same effect on me as music does. Sure, I’ll be the first one to admit how easy it is to lose yourself in the imaginary world of a book, and yes, words do have a profound effect, although not generally the “goose bumps” effect.

The following passage, however, not only gave me goose bumps, but also brought tears to my eyes ~

“Child of mine, I will never do for you that which I know you can do for yourself. I will never rob you of an opportunity to show yourself your ability and talent. I will see you at all times as the capable, effective, powerful creator that you’ve come forth to be. And I will stand back as your most avid cheerleading section. But I will not do for you that which you have intended to do for yourself. Anything you need from me, ask. I’m always here to compliment or assist. I am here to encourage your growth, not to justify my experience through you”. ~ Abraham Hicks.

Oh how easy it is to allow natural maternal or paternal instincts to take over, disguised in the names of nurturing, protection and love. When our children are new born babies, of course we do everything for them. They rely on us as parents to be there when they are hungry, to dress them and keep them warm, tuck them into bed at night and have hugs available by the barrow load. We have wonderful dreams of the amazing people our children will grow into.

As the years progress, we develop a habit of “doing” for our children, believing they expect us to be there for them, because that’s just what parents are there for! Think about it, didn’t our own parents always “do” for us?

And then there comes a time when we must begin to let go. With the passing of the years, our children are learning, mostly through watching the examples we set for them, through our own actions, therefore, haven’t they learned from the best? 😉

Gradually, we see a change in their demeanour. They become more independent, personal preferences begin to show. Our children still need us, but their needs change. No longer expecting us to spoon feed them, they begin to seek our approval.

Our role in their lives changes, we become our children’s “most avid cheerleading section”, giving them the confidence to strive ahead, forge on and follow their dreams. Because now, the dreams they are following are those of their own making, not our dreams for them.

As a mother of four, I have learned five main lessons from my children ~

  • Believe in them. If they have your support, in whatever they choose to do, they feel invincible.
  • Allow them to have the freedom to experience the world for themselves.
  • Keep the lines of communication open to them. Let them know they can confide in you, no matter what.
  • Let them make their own mistakes, and be there for them, when they need you.
  • Most of all, keep on loving them, and let them know you do. No child is ever too old to be reassured that they are loved by a parent.

With mutual respect and love, as the years progress, your dependant little baby will become a friend, and not just any friend, but a friend you can trust, rely on and cherish.

There is nothing more exhilarating than to watch your own child growing up, allowing them the opportunity to become the person who they really are and becoming acquainted with their own individual personality.


Australia · inspiration · Mount Warning · spiritual

On a Natural High

Joanne2 Comments

The overnight rain has left us with a dull and overcast day today and the view over Mount Warning, the magical mountain, has changed yet again.

Today, Mount Warning has had her head in and out of the clouds, which is not surprising, when her peak stands at 1,156 metres, or 3,793 feet high. The photo above clearly shows a large cloud mass beginning to move to one side, revealing her head again. To make the photo larger, just click on it.

The view today is bringing back reminders of my years as a teenager. Always the dreamer, my own head lived permanently in the clouds. My mother often pointed out the similarities between myself and the mountain!

Each morning I would head off to school on foot. A bus service could have collected me from my own front door and also dropped me home in the afternoon, but I wasn’t interested in the bus. I walked.

My trip to school saw me walking along the pedestrian path, over the bridge of the Tweed River. In the heat of the hottest summer’s days, a refreshing breeze blew along the river; my arrival to school always came sooner than I wished it would.

The idea of any kind of danger didn’t cross my mind. I enjoyed my lone walks every day. They cleared my mind, I was happy, and the mountain protected me, all the way there.

During high school I struggled with Maths and I blame the mountain. It had greater plans for me each maths lesson. Sitting at my desk beside the window, with an outlook over cane fields leading across to the mountain, it would have me mesmerized, leaving me unable to comprehend the meaning, or use of algebra.

In my first guest post at The Calm Space, I spoke of the inspiration Mount Warning has given me throughout my life. You can read that post here.

Now I find myself praying for fine weather; it’s time to take another trip into the mountain. How many years has it been? I don’t remember. All I know is, it has been way too many.

I recall the winding road, on a steep incline, ending, I think, about three kilometres from the peak of the mountain. At close range, the mountain is eerie and mystical; it has a soul all of its own, an old soul. And it’s a kind and protective soul.

At the point where the road ends, a picnic clearing is surrounded by massive rainforest trees, covering the high altitude area of the mountain. Bush turkeys used to live there; I wonder if they still do? I remember the high pitched trilling of birds calling out to each other, high up in the branches of the ancient trees. A gentle stream of water ran through the rocks on the floor of the rainforest, meandering in and out of the bases of the trees.

It will be interesting to find out if the pictures in my mind’s eye, from so long ago, are still accurate.

What do you see in your own life, that special “something” that you know with absolute certainty will inspire you, lift your spirits and pour energy into your day?

Australia · Mount Warning · spiritual

Can I Quote You on That?

JoanneLeave a comment

The English language is quite amazing. Words, that being the use of words for different purposes, have always fascinated me.

My favourite subject at school, not surprisingly, was English. Where my exam results at high school were close to failure for mathematics, (who, I ask you, really needs to know Pythagoras, algebra, trigonometry or pi formulas?) my results for English were always at the top of the class.

Crosswords have always been a favourite also. Who knows what new words may be lurking around in crossword-land, waiting to be discovered?

And then, there are quotes. A  few cleverly strung together words can bring sunshine streaming into a dull day.  Better still; quotes themselves possess an amazingly accurate little knack of just popping up on the right day, at the right time.

A while ago my sister sent me a gift, a box of “Healing the Mind and Spirit” cards, by Brian Weiss. Our other sister had sent her the cards and she found them so accurate that she found some for me. The cards sit on my coffee table in my quiet room and I often refer to them.

This morning, the affirmation on my randomly chosen card from the deck was “I awaken each day to the beauty around me”. On the reverse side of the card, the message is “There is so much more to life than meets the eye. Love and beauty exist everywhere, at all levels. Open your spiritual eyes”.

By “coincidence”, this morning I drove my son to one of his friend’s houses so they could spend the day fishing in the river, just up the road from where he lives. Master twelve’s friend lives in a small village called Tumbulgum, situated on the Tweed River.

The aboriginal meaning of the word Tumbulgum is “meeting of the waters”, as it is the site where the Tweed River joins into the Rous River.

It is impossible for me to ever feel anything other than calm and happy when I take the ten minute drive to Tumbulgum. The Magic Mountain looks out over the river, as if guarding the waters.

It is a beautiful village…and yes, spiritual…

Today, I have added a few words to my site, in the form of a quote from Abraham-Hicks. Have a look at the top of the column to the left; do you see it there, just above my subscription box? The quote will be updated daily.

It is my wish that the daily quotes from Abraham-Hicks will bring even more peace, happiness, love and beauty into your life, and open your spiritual eyes. 🙂