happiness with a side of relish..

                                                             hap·pi·ness

                                                    noun \ˈha-pē-nəs\                                                 
                                                   : the state of being happy

                                                   : an experience that makes you happy

Happiness... Should not be a difficult concept, right? It has a very simple definition, yet, it seems to allude us frequently.  I often tell people that I am happy a lot, but rarely content.  That seems like an oxymoron, but I guess what I mean is that I often have happy moments in my life, day to day, but I rarely feel that I am at a "state of being" that I would like to hang out in for awhile, you know? Honestly, I think this isn't all bad, as it keeps me in motion, striving for more- but always at a cost.

 image © held by AnnMarie Gitchell, 2013   

Truth is, that this is a cop out, an excuse, a rationalization.  What I've been doing all wrong is a couple of things (well many for sure, but only a couple that relate to this idea):  

First of all, I am not adding these happy moments together.  I simply take each one as it comes and then let it go, like shelving a good book or tossing out the remnants of an amazing salted caramel pumpkin cake (just saying)!  "The sum is greater than it's parts."  Big cosmic DUH to me.

The second thing I do sometimes is compare myself to others.           
Theodore Roosevelt said "Comparison is the thief of joy."  I totally get this, rationally, but to live it is quite another thing.  

  

My wish today is to be able to string all of my happy moments together like little twinkling Christmas lights or drops along a spider web- to keep with me and brighten my path as I go.  I wish to be able to enjoy MY moments, because they are mine and not compare them to others.  I wish to savor every tiny bit of happiness that each day brings me and to relish in the happiness of others.