The Seeds of Happiness

Inside our minds are the seeds of goodness and happiness. It is like we were intended to be everything our heart desires us to be.

But like the seed, these intentions need the right conditions to grow - light, nutrition, healthy soil. The soil of our mind is sometimes too loose for our seeds to take root. Sometimes too tight and the roots are choked. Yet how often have we seen a plant growing through concrete?

The light and nutrition are our daily habits, how we treat our bodies and our minds. They give us clarity and energy.

The circumstances we find ourselves in, are potentially the spark that can change any of these conditions. In essence our relationships give us the opportunity to be more loving to ourselves and others. Love is the key to unlocking these seeds.

Knowing that the seeds of happiness are inside us, not outside gives us back our power to take control.

If the deer embryo is intent for beauty, grace, skill, speed, strength, and some would say "perfection", then why not man?

Where happiness hides

What are we all trying to do anyway? Where are we all going? What are we running after?

Well-being? Love? Happiness?

What if we just stopped for a while and found well-being, love and happiness inside. Or in contemplation of a body of water, a tree swaying in the wind, the eyes of our beloved? The source of all lasting happiness is hidden in these types of experiences. This is my daily bread. This is the nourishment of my soul. This is my prayer, my meditation. This is how I give glory to all that is. This is my religion.

I remember being very sad when my son was just a few months old. The words of a friend came to mind. "When you are experiencing a painful emotion focus on something uplifting for twenty one seconds. This exercise will raise you up."

So I did it. I looked at my baby boy who instantly smiled at me. The more I looked at him, the more he smiled and giggled. I ended up being infected by his joy. It didn't completely erase the pain but it came pretty close.

I find myself by a lake on a mild day, with nothing to do but enjoy the sensations of summer, observing the patterns in the water, allowing myself to be hypnotized by them. These are the patterns of life, they are the music that is written in my soul. They take me back to who I am, and I become drunk on the sensations of the moment.

Without the sustenance of these eternal moments I am only a part of what I can be. With them I am more relaxed, more patient, more focused, more loving. Isn't that what religion is all about, making us better, more whole?