Happiness Again.

 Once again just before I arose my wife switched on a morning breakfast programme I just refuse to watch. I sometimes wonder if she switched it on to get me up and out of the way. I could not believe my eyes or ears when I heard that once again they were running a slot on finding happiness. Is this programme, where the presenters are continually laughing at nothing obsessed by telling us how to be as happy as them.

Today, this slot appeared they had people holding up cards, Bob Dylan style, telling us their recipe for happiness.  

Again we were told about meditation. They went on to say that it is not religious but, “Mindfulness Meditation”.  The NEW craze.

Now just to set the record straight, Mindfulness Meditation was first put forward as a theory by Lao Tzu, it was further developed in 500BC by Buddha. At the same time in China it was being taught as the way to peace and harmony by Confucius.

I have mentioned this in this blog so many times in different ways. It is the art of training the mind to take bad thoughts and turn them into good ones. My day begins each day with just such a session.

A true event I heard about and share with you began with a phone call from a son to his mother. He called his parents from San Francisco to ask if it would be alright to bring his friend home with him. They were returning from the Vietnam war. Without thinking the mother replied, “Of course I would love to meet your friend.”

He then went on to say "There's something you should know , "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

The mother telling the tale all these years later said it was the best thing that ever happened to her home.

He was a man who only ever saw the best in people and situations and he changed her life. He practised mindfulness. Seems that this new road to happiness has been around for a long, long time.

A friend said something to me yesterday that is still making me smile today.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Happiness! is not something you find it is something given to you by friends and we in return must give it to others.

This way we practice the ancient religious way of Mindfulness.

Wow I am feeling better I have got that off my chest.

Have a great day. Not sure if I will be here tomorrow an important meeting tomorrow that will be filling my mind today and until it is over.