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It is said that when a butterfly flaps its wings, that energy flows thousands of miles away. And a silent blessing or thought of love toward others contains a vibration that will be felt throughout the cosmos.
The most important question is not "What are we doing?" but rather "Who do we intend to become?"
The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.
How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.
Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved. I am not sure that you are of the same mind. But the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. This is the world of light and speech, and I shall take leave to tell you that you are very dear.
Some folks really struggle with birthdays. They complain about how old* they are, beg out of celebrations, and dread that day on the calendar.
My long-time friend, Robert, took this delightful shot of Dogwood blossoms this week. He sent it to me to cheer me up after I shared how un-happifying the news around us was this morning. (Thanks, Robert!!)
I love irides--or irises, as some would call them--more than any other flower. We have them all over our yard and they are just starting to send up their 3-foot stalks laden with blooms. As soon as they open, I'll trade out this stock shot for one of our prized blue and purple bearded beauties.Don't blink. Beneath the wall the bearded irises are in bloom, the tall upper-most petals so gauzy, so delicate, that each bloom, once opened, lasts hardly longer than a day. Look, you can almost see through them. As fleeting as a rainbow, and with the same rain-washed colours. They were named after Iris, the messenger of the gods, who as a rainbow linked heaven and earth. It's the same derivation as the iris of the human eye, the coloured membrane which separates the inner from the outer chamber. Both have the same mysterious, shifting, shimmering quality, the colours depending on the viewpoint of the observer, one colour flecked by, veined with, shot through with another.
"Celebrate Earth Day every day. It's good to recycle. Earth is a really pretty planet and we want to keep it that way."~Gilly
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.~Marcel Proust
A beautiful sunset like this evokes all sorts of emotions and memories for me. 
We had a massive storm in our neck of the woods today, so I got a little giddy when the animals started marching by my kitchen window in pairs.I'm going to be happy. I'm going to skip. I'm going to be glad. I'm going to smile a lot. I'm going to be easy. I'm going to count my blessings. I'm going to look for reasons to feel good. I'm going to dig up positive things from the past. I'm going to look for positive things where I stand. I'm going to look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It's natural for me to love and to laugh. This is what is most natural for me. I am a happy person!
For as long as most of my closest friends have known me, I’ve had this favorite saying: “The next best thing to making plans, is plans falling through!” It’s not just a rote statement – it’s absolutely true!
Even if I’m very much looking forward to a morning, afternoon or evening plan that was set well in advance – say dinner with friends, or a movie or music outing – I’m typically not so “wed” to the event that my life feels “cheated” or “diminished” by its withdrawal.
When the plans fall through, it means it’s a morning or afternoon or evening with – here it comes – no plans! So basically, I am free to create my own entertainment, strike out on my own adventure, or do nothing more than curl up on the sofa with a book and some sweet ambient music for company.
Then we sat on the edge of the earth, with our feet dangled over the side, and marveled that we had found each other. --Erik Dillard
Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.~Margaret Young
Being happy is the cornerstone of all that you are! Nothing is more important than that you feel good! And you have absolute and utter control about that because you can choose the thought that makes you worry or the thought that makes you happy; the things that thrill you, or the things that worry you. You have the choice in every moment.
Where better to seek out happiness than in making spontaneous connections with other human beings? It’s a favorite pastime of mine. Going up or down in the elevator. Waiting on line at the post office or grocery store. Sure, you could just stand there and feel awkward, or bemoan the fact that the line isn’t moving any faster, or that there’s only one postal clerk window or check-out lane open at lunchtime…or…you could pass the time agreeably with the person in front of or behind you. Go on, make their day too!
For a more extended connection, Gina and I love to establish a friendly relationship with our waiter or waitress at a favorite or new eating place. Gina always asks the server what his or her name is – unless it’s offered first, which seems to be getting rarer these days! We don’t eat out very often, so when we do, we like it to be extra special and fun. So, to up the entertainment value, we try to bring our server in on the festivities.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, we just laugh amongst ourselves, and hope that one day that person discovers his or her own blissification.
Our baby girl loves to paint and created this blissful scene of blooming spring flowers on one of the grayest days in February. How many of you remember Dick Van Dyke singing and dancing to Put on a Happy Face in the original film version of Bye Bye Birdie? I do. In an effort to cheer up a friend who’s “down in the dumps”, he encourages her to “spread sunshine all over the place, just put on a happy face!”
When I’m in a great mood, I guess I can’t help but smile. When I’m walking through my day, passing total strangers on the street on the walk from my car to the office, or from my office to the car, or from my office to the Arcade in downtown Nashville to mail a letter or pick up a quarter pound of nuts or a batch of sushi, I suppose I toss that smile at everyone I pass, because nine times out of ten, I get a big, sweet smile in return.
Either I influenced that, or there are a whole lot more happy folks walking around than I thought!
I love my "office." It is a cozy space on our sunporch that allows me a panoramic view of the 6+ acres where we are lucky enough to live. I watch the weather change, the flowers bloom, the deer roam, and the turkeys strut. Though I do go into a traditional office for client meetings, this is where the majority of my "work" gets done.
Because this beautiful Redbud tree right outside my back door is in bloom. And because it's beautiful. And because its blooms bring with it reminders of renewal, fresh starts, and more beauty.
