Sometimes I wonder if I am so busy searching
for happiness that I forget that most of the time it’s right there in front of
me. Especially
since I have so many wonderful friends!
On Saturday night, my wife and I went to dinner
at a friend’s house in Laguna Niguel. We had never been to their house before, so
it was nice to finally visit their home. Despite both of them having extremely
busy careers in the medical profession, (he is a doctor and she is a nurse)
they found time to remodel their home themselves and did a wonderful job. It is
beautifully decorated, with a gorgeous Grand Piano in the living room and a
huge wraparound patio outside with a stunning view of the ocean. Since it was
our first visit, they gave us a tour and I noticed they had the same pillow in
their guest bedroom that we have in our guest bedroom. It’s a long decorative
pillow with the definition of “Happiness” written on it. It reminded me that I
was happy to have these people as friends!
I like this couple a lot because they are really
fun, funny, interesting, and adventurous. Recently the husband signed up for a trip
to explore Antarctica and after dinner he showed us an amazing video. Antarctica
is one of the last places on earth that hasn’t been spoiled by the human race
and its beauty is singularly unique. Apparently just getting to Antarctica was
an adventure in itself, but once he arrived, it turned out to be one of those
bucket list things that we all should try to do at least once before we die.
Speaking of “Bucket List” I saw that movie
recently for the second time. It’s
about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward to begin a trip
around the world with a bucket list of to-dos before they die. Edward (Jack
Nicholson) just wants to have fun no matter what it costs, while Carter (Morgan
Freeman) is a lot more thoughtful. Near the end of the movie, Edward is acting
like a jerk, once again, because all he cares about is his own happiness. So Carter
stops him for a moment and quietly tells him something extremely insightful. He
explains to Edward that the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about
death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two
questions. The first question was, “Have
you found joy in your life?” The second question was, “Has your life brought
joy to others?”
Happiness
held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.
~ Anonymous
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