[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRmUcqI2LKM[/youtube]Happiness is an elusive butterfly. Like a child chases the mystical insect, the pursuit of happiness is the primary focus of our lives and the driving force behind most decisions we make. We begin things in search of happiness relationships, jobs, where we live and what we do, but we also end things hoping to find happiness. We divorce, change careers, move away. We buy things to make us happy, but the newness fades like the waning smell of a once new car.
With the innocent eyes of a child we anticipate the magic that holds us captive. We drift through our lives changing as we need to along the way. Like a child after Christmas we tire of our old toys and search for the newer the better, always chasing the butterfly. Sometimes we feel it within our grasp, only to touch it and feel it slip through our fingers. Somehow, over time, it slides through our net again and again. We get so wrapped up in the pursuit of happiness that we loose the magic of what we have the moments of our lives.
How many times we’ve heard the words, “I’ll be happy when _____.” When I graduate, meet the right person, find the perfect job, get married, own a home, have children . . . and even when we achieve our goals, we look forward to the next one and the next one.
It’s important to have goals and great expectations for the future. They inspire us and give us hope, but we also need to take stock in the now we have and enjoy the simple things. My mother used to say, “Always remember to smell the roses along the way. Enjoy the smell of fresh mowed grass and soft spring mornings beach sunsets and star filled nights fireworks and fantasy.”
Its the moments of our lives that bring us happiness. We’ve captured the butterfly time and time again. To find happiness, we merely have to remember our moments and focus on the “good stuff.” We can feed it and even create it for others. Happiness is all around us and we can see it if we look through the eyes of our inner child.
Casi