Friday, March 12, 2021
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Everything is great as it is—and there is always room for improvement. Just as there is no one “right” way to live, people define happiness for themselves in different ways. The truth is that we are all seeking to find happiness and to avoid suffering, and this common human striving connects and bonds us all.
It is useful to remind ourselves that we each go through periods of feeling lost, and then found, as we endeavor to find joy. Our own struggles with addictions can be perceived as misguided attempts to relieve pain and find good feelings. All our mistakes and missteps are just variations on this basic human theme. What we may finally realize, with time, is that pleasure is not synonymous with happiness, but rather a temporary gratification of a desire.
Is it even possible to stabilize happiness, when everything else is constantly changing? Perhaps we just learn to appreciate and enjoy it when it presents itself and let go of seeking and struggling to achieve it. We can have a good time with all the variations along the happiness continuum, from contentment and delight to elation and ecstasy, each experience emanating a deeply felt, complete sense that all is well.
I hold the keys to my own happiness. Where have I hidden them?
Hazelden Foundation
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