My name is Satya and, right now, I am happy. When I feel happy I’m like a jug of maple syrup that is overflowing, and I want to find people who like maple syrup so they can put it on their pancakes. It’s precious stuff - I don’t want to waste it. Would you like some? Then take a slow breath, hand me your plate, and I’ll share my seven suggestions with you…
😊 Turn on your Happiness Radar.
My radar switch is at the base of my spine. There - on! Now what can I see?
Today’s schedule which contains a delicious lunch with my friend Laura. The leaves of the silver birch in the temple garden doing their shimmering dance. My pencil - so loyal, so dependable. This blue dress which makes me happy to be exactly the size I am. My full mug of Barley Cup, gently exhaling steam.
Sometimes we need to remember to tune into what we already have. What’s on my list? Memory-treasures, the ground underneath my feet, my people (including the ones who are sometimes annoying), oxygen, cake, health-as-far-as-I-know, many books, a free afternoon at the weekend...
What’s on your list? Tell me in the comments or at least switch on your Happiness Radar and have a good look around for a minute before moving onto the next paragraph.
😊 Go gently on yourself.
Confession time. I like to hide at parties, I work too hard, I don’t do any yoga, I am slapdash, I have a strong capitalist part called Eddie and I’m old, fat and pathetic. Etc.
You probably won’t be as foolish as me, but you may well contain a teensy bit of foolishness of your own.
Also, you may have noticed that the world is pretty harsh sometimes. First of all human foolishness joins up into huge powerful systems that have rottenness built in, which then oppress and exploit and are horribly violent towards other people, living things and our dear Earth. Also, earthquakes, and pandemics, and…
All this adds up to: it’s not easy to be human. And, I trust that we’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve got. I believe that with all of my being, even when we do disappointing or even very bad things. When I really get to know the destructive parts of myself and of other people, I can’t help but feel moved by their dilemmas and their struggles. If you’re not on board with that, no problem. You can experiment instead with seeing the ‘awful’ parts of you and other people through my eyes (on a good day), or through the Buddha’s eyes.
In short, go gently. It’s tough for ALL of us, some of the time. And allow happiness to sneak in through the side door - maybe when you least expect it.
😊 Sprinkle microjoys on everything.
Microjoys are like those sugary things you sprinkle onto cupcakes but better. They are tiny moments of happiness - the ones we take for granted if we’re not careful, but that pepper our days with delight.
We can catch microjoys in the wild (notice the ones that are already present) and cultivate them (create opportunities for them to arise). I did the latter just now by pausing and having a big old stretch and feeling my shoulders say ‘thank you’.
Microjoys are dots of light in the worst of the darkness. Be quiet for a moment and look inside and outside. What do you see? Maybe you’re experiencing one right now?
😊 Give it away to keep it.
I hated this recovery slogan when I first heard it - it didn’t make any sense. At that time in my life I was desperate for serenity, hope, stability, happiness - if I got a crumb, why would I give it away?
And yet. The more I received from others, the more I realised that these people, the ones who gave me so much, were happy. They had what I wanted, and they kept it by passing it on.
To get happy, we need to focus on making other people happy. Not in a codependent, martyrish, ‘take my last cookie’ kind of way, but in a ‘overflowing with maple syrup’ kind of way - seeking out the things we can give away with ease, and doing it as much as we can. Sometimes it’s good to stretch a little (the money I donated to charity yesterday and everso slightly resented) but mostly we give best when we give from a place of plenty. If you haven’t got plenty, you’ll still have something you don’t need - a smile for a stranger, a finished novel to give to a friend, taking away an extra abandoned dog poo with you when you next go to the park.
Maybe start by making your colleague a cuppa, or go tickle your dog’s tummy, or email your favourite café to thank them for their amazing carrot cake. Or send this piece to someone who needs a little more happy in their lives (i.e. everyone).
Am I asking you to share my writing because I want more people to read it? Of course I am - I’m a writer, aren’t I? (winky face) And, I have plenty of maple syrup and your friends might have naked pancakes today.
😊 Become your own Happiness Wizard.
I was going to pepper this piece with photos of puppies, but I remembered that (I can hardly believe it) not everyone loves puppies as much as I do. In fact, even I didn’t used to love puppies as much as I do - up until four years ago I looked at dogs and thought, ‘meh’. Now I have two of my own and I can hardly pass one on the street without ambushing the owner so I can give it some fuss.
As if to illustrate my point, Aiko is licking my bare left foot right now. Having a dog lick your foot as you type is not for everyone, but it is making me happy.
Only we can discover the strange things that make us happy, and do them or arrange for them to happen.
She’s doing between my toes now.
😊 Keep a twinkle in your eye.
This morning I received an email suggesting that I buy some chocolate called Duck Shit. This has tickled me and if it was vegan and didn’t have tea in it (eugh) I might even have bought some just so I could be tickled again as I ate it.
When I imagine the Buddha, I always imagine her with a twinkle in her eye. I especially imagine this twinkle going into operation when she looks at my and my shenanigans.
Sometimes it helps to dance like a loon or poke your friend in a playful manner or buy a gossipy magazine and read it in the bath. Sometimes we need to see a trashy comedy film or find a way of laughing at ourselves. Amused twinkles can be infectious. Get your twinkle out ✨ and maybe tell me your favourite joke in the comments.
(what do you get from chocolate cows? chocolate mooooooooousse)
😊 Go outside.
I just did. I met a blackbird with a beak-full of moss for her nest. Droplets of water shining on the hosta leaves. Our little pond humming with tadpoles. The promise of peony buds, the size of cherries. Life!
Outside we can look for things that are growing - even if it’s just weeds coming through concrete. (Wait! Weeds coming through concrete!!!) We can look at the sky as it changes and remember how small we are and feel the relief of that. We can tune into our interconnectedness and be amazed at the way we all swap molecules and wonder at what we’re made of. We can thank this planet for feeding us and watering us and giving us shelter. We can find beauty.
When we take off our self-protective glasses, beauty is everywhere.
Maybe when you’ve got to the bottom of this piece you’ll do the same, even if it’s poking your head out of your tenth floor office window for a minute. Be careful!
🌏
So - which of these seven will you play with today? Maybe write a note to yourself on a sticky-note or put an appointment in your schedule or order a box of doughnuts for your workmates right now. I also accept doughnuts.
Thank you for hanging out with me and my words today. It has made me happy. Do scroll down and say hi to my dad before you go.
Go gently,
Satya <3
😊 😊 😊
(enough smiley faces already?)
Your prediction was spot on, Satya: Reading this DID make me happy. Thank you! I don't know how you manage to be inspirational, optimistic, and yet real all at the same time -- but you do. I love the idea of looking for the moments of beauty that are RIGHT HERE in front of us, if we but look. And ... oh, the photo of your dad as a boy. Very sweet. Hugs to you in the ongoing journey of grief, with all its twists and turns.
I do love that picture of your Dad! It makes me happy. It's nice to see the people in our lives when they were just themselves, without the feelings we might have about the life we've lived with them.