Banking Happiness

It was fine with me that the storm last week was less damaging than predicted. I had no complaints about the lack of power outages and not having to be housebound for three days.

What’s with us? We attack the weather persons for misleading us and the mayors and governors for shutting down everything. What a no win! So we all got an unexpected day at home. Is that so bad? Not according to the woman I discussed this with the next day at the Cobbler’s in Westport. “It was really nice, all of us at home together,” she told me.

The meteorologists did the best they could with the information they had available and our governments, both local and state, reacted responsibly, based on that information.

 Perhaps our tracking systems can be improved, but do we really expect storms to obey our rules?

Sometimes I think we are a country of blamers and complainers.

I wanted someone on the television news, preferably one of the weather announcers, to say something like: “Weren’t we fortunate! What luck that we were wrong. This was a tough storm to track and how great that the New York, east coast area, was not hit as hard as we predicted.” (Never mind poor Boston and Nantucket got hammered and that a tiny Massachusetts town had the Atlantic Ocean roll right over it, freezing and making the place look like  planet Krypton.

I’m in favor of celebrating every feeling and everything that happens that is positive. We have enough suffering in this world. We need to bank happiness and joy, storing it up like a squirrel stores nuts for the winter, against the times when things aren’t so great and we are sad and maybe even miserable.

My happiness savings account has been running low: my brother died and my sister has been seriously ill. I feel like I am dragging a weighty anchor of sadness and anxiety. Already it seems like a long, cold winter.

Mind you, I do not want the above feelings to be fixed. Unlike weather prediction systems, my feelings do not present a problem to be solved, but instead, an internal soft spot, a vulnerability to be recognized, tended and lived through. Having become aware of my happiness overdraft, I’ve begun to move toward rebuilding it.

I took a walk in the sun yesterday and just looking up at the blue sky was wonderful and restorative. Forget how cold it was; I was so happy to see the brilliant sun!

And later, spending some prayerful healing time with a friend who has just had surgery to pin her arm--broken in three places--back together; that was wonderful, too.

On Thursday, I had lunch with my daughter who spends most of the winter in Florida, but who happens to be home right now. I love having lunch with my daughter. In fact, I love doing anything with my daughter.

And best of all, at least in this moment, is that I am leaving on Sunday for a week in Florida myself and it looks as if—assuming the meteorologists are correct this time—I will have a clear day to fly.

If they turn out to be wrong, I’ll do my best not to complain.

***

Check out www.whatiknowtobetrue.com offering personal growth groups in Fairfield every third Thursday. Caroline J. Temple and Lisa Jacoby are the compassionate leaders of What I Know To Be True and my companions on this journey of reflection and self-discovery.  For the details of the workshops, call Caroline at 203 866 9331. Click here for general information:

 www.whatiknowtobetrue.com.

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