When it comes to being happy, we are perhaps the universe’s biggest procrastinators. So let’s not waste another moment, and be happy now…
We keep telling ourselves that we’ll be happy when we achieve this or that. When we get married or have a career, when we become parents or move into that dream house, or when we get away from a bad relationship, and so on and so forth… Noble dreams, yes, but to be happy, you just have to make yourself happy now.
A few weeks ago I listened to a radio show by Radleigh Valentine and he said on average, people laugh 15 times a day. Fifteen times! And then he asked, “Do you remember if you laughed at all yesterday?” He pointed out it’s easy to remember the unpleasant things – the times we’re sad or scared or anxious – but the joyful times, the laughing times, are easier to forget. He encouraged his listeners to take note of when they laugh, to see if it adds up to 15 times. And then he said something really interesting: Plan for joy.
Unless you’re a Disney character, being positive all of the time can prove difficult. We live in a time where we are constantly running around, on limited time, limited sleep, and limited self-care. We are bombarded with negative news, negative television, negative people and negative vibes. We are facing too many global crises to comprehend. Through all of this, however, people are remaining positive. How so?
We cut through the mountains to get here, to Yosemite Valley. After four hours driving, we discovered Tioga Pass was closed for the winter, so we looped back and added another few winding hours in the rugged East Sierra switchbacks. When we finally showed up to Yosemite the next day, it was raining. Hard. We sat for a while in our tent, and when the rain let up slightly, we set out and found a place to read John Muir.
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