Comments on: Living A Happy Life: How TIME And Oliver Sacks Got Me Thinking About Happiness

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:47:35 +0000

Sheryl,

I hope that if I am blessed enough to live till I'm 80 that I can live the kind of life Oliver Sacks enjoys. That is a true blessing!

I agree with you that we have to make our own happiness in our own way. I know that you recognize it in the little things as I do - our family, our friends, ourselves, the world around us, and what's in our own backyard. So glad we're sharing this journey together!

Have a marvelous day, and thanks again~
Cathy

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:44:41 +0000

You are so right, Karen. That is what makes me happy, too. Living a life of purpose for others. Staying engaged and doing for others.

Thank you for leaving your thoughts. I truly appreciate what you have to say.

By the way, I just read you were in NYC last fall. Next time you are, let me know so we can meet IRL!

Best to you always~
Cathy

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:43:06 +0000

Thanks, Lisa.

I always appreciate hearing that you enjoyed something I wrote. It means a lot!

Best to you always~
Cathy

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:40:39 +0000

After I read your comment, Sharon, my mother-in-law called. I told her what you said, and that I thought she and my father-in-law were always programmed for happiness. They've lived their lives that way, and it's served them well.

I quite agree with you in your assessment of people being programmed for happiness. Thank goodness we are enjoying this chapter of our lives, eh?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, something I always look forward to.

Best~
Cathy

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:33:34 +0000

No, I have not read that book, so thank you very much for the recommendation.

I think it's the smaller things in life that make us happy, and that some people are also programmed toward noticing happiness. If I see a butterfly, a rainbow, children laughing and playing, or a hear the gentle patter of rain - that makes me happy.

We can't listen to the advertisers! We must follow our hearts.

Thank you for your insights, Ginger Kay.

Best always~
Cathy

By: Ginger Kay

Ginger Kay — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:09:54 +0000

I strongly disagree with the Dalai Lama on this one. Happiness isn't the purpose of life. I do believe happiness is worth pursuing, and, like you and Helene, I think recognizing it in the quiet moments of life is the key. That certainly isn't what advertisers want us to believe, and understandably so; contentment doesn't sell. Have you read The Geography of Bliss? I think you'd find it interesting.

By: Sharon Greenthal

Sharon Greenthal — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 09:53:27 +0000

Here's another thing about being happy - there are some for whom it is much more difficult than others. All the self-help books (which make me crazy) in the world can't change a person's basic nature. Some people find being happy a natural thing, others have to work so hard that, in some cases, it may not be worth it.

By: Lisa Froman

Lisa Froman — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:45:01 +0000

I love this post. Can't wait to share. So much good information and so many beautiful quotes. Thanks for this!

By: Karen D. Austin

Karen D. Austin — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:32:19 +0000

Some good questions and good quotes. I like how you distilled that one article's advice into a formula! I find that I am the happiest when I have a purpose -- not to be happy but for some other cause. And then happiness is a byproduct of being extremely engaged in a purposeful life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

By: Sheryl

Sheryl — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 20:11:00 +0000

Loved reading this thought-provoking piece. My personal philosophy is that happiness is all around us, but many of us don't take the time to notice/embrace/recognize/savor it. Ultimately it is up to us to go out and make our own happiness and not wait for it to come to us.
I LOVED Oliver Sacks' article. What a fabulous way to think about aging, huh?

By: Cathy Chester

Cathy Chester — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 19:55:20 +0000

Helene,

I think your last sentence was something every writer wants to hear: it made me think. I am glad it did, and you are so right about happiness eluding those who simply don't know where to look for it.

I remember a few summers ago I was very sick, and sitting outside to try and recuperate. A beautiful butterfly landed right next to me and stayed for a long time. I didn't move, afraid it might fly away. Those cherished moments will always stay with me. I thought to myself the butterfly was of better times to come. Happiness!

Thanks for leaving your thoughts and sharing them with me here. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Best always~
Cathy

By: Helene Cohen Bludman

Helene Cohen Bludman — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 18:46:09 +0000

Thought provoking post, Cathy. Do you think that happiness may elude those who don't recognize it? I believe as we age we find happiness in the small things that surround us: a perfect rose, time spent with family, a beautiful melody. Maybe it takes years of experience to finally value the simpler thing in life and recognize that as happiness. Loved reading this. It made me think.