Feb 25, 2015

Small moment, big lift

Did you know that 20th March is the annual International Day of Happiness? The United Nations declared it in 2012, but I must admit I had no idea. The initiative to declare a day of happiness came from Bhutan, a country whose citizens are considered to be some of the happiest people in the world. It’s only three weeks away so I thought I’d prepare for the day by celebrating some of the very small moments of happiness that can get lost as life whizzes by.


I’m not talking about the big things like, say, the birth of a new grandson (which happened a few weeks ago, by the way), but sometimes you can be having an off day, or a mediocre one, and then something happens - it’s very small, but it gets right inside your senses and lifts your spirits. You close your eyes, sink into the sensation, sigh...and return to the real world. It was a brief but heady moment of joy.

Happiness triggers, I guess we could call these moments. These are some examples from my life in recent days:

1) After unloading the weekly shop and putting it away – something that always feels like such a chore – I opened a new pack of ground coffee. Ahhh, the aroma. Eyes closed, inhaling deeply, I was transported to a euphoric place. It can do it to me every time (and I’m glad I didn’t buy that pod machine after all).

2) Having kept an appointment which involved a long drive, I learned that I’d been told the wrong day. Grumpy, I returned to the car to be met by the sound of kookaburras laughing in the trees. It’s a sound that always makes me feel joyful and I immediately forgot to be annoyed at the waste of time.


3) That moment when squeaky clean skin meets squeaky clean sheets makes me sigh with utter contentment every single time.

4) Taking a short cut home I drove along the sea shore for a short distance, happened to glance out to the ocean and saw yachts racing. It was such a glorious sight I forgot the problem that had filled my head until that moment.


5) I’m sure many people can relate to this one...it was the moment when my new grandson opened his eyes and looked at me for the first time. There seemed to be such a connection in that brief meeting of gazes, and I was immediately hooked.

Do you have certain tiny triggers that can make you happy every single time, even if it is only briefly and no matter how bad things get around you?

13 comments:

  1. I didn't know about International Day of Happiness, Claire. What a great idea. It's a happy day. Hearing the birds in the bush start twittering as the sun rises is guaranteed to put a smile on my dial and remind me I've got a whole new day to look forward.

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    1. Lovely! I really like that moment when the magpies start to warble in the tall trees because the sun is rising.

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  2. Claire, I think it's wonderful taking time to think about what makes us feel good. I love the sound of cicadas in summer, finding a letter or postcard from a friend in my letterbox, picking up the phone to discover it's one of my children calling, or catching a glimpse of our local wildlife. They all make me smile.

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    1. It doesn't take much, does it, Annie? We don't need expensive treats to make us feel happy.

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  3. Lovely to think of positives, Claire. Here are some things guaranteed to make me smile: talking to my son on Skype. The perfect crunch of a new season apple. The scent of clean laundry. Hearing the song that me and hubby danced to on our wedding day. Dancing, full stop. The first sip of wine at the end of a long day :-)

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    1. Oh, I love the scent of clean laundry. Did you know that there's an air freshener with that scent? I have it in every room.

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  4. What a great way to celebrate happiness for me it is starting a new book that I can't put down :) and anything to do with my grandkids they always make me smile

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Finishing a great book too, as long as it's a happy ending. :)

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  5. It is lovely when you notice the little things and smile, Claire!

    Freshly brewed coffee does that for me every time and when my kids play together and squeal with laughter - makes my heart sing!

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    1. Oh, yes, that laughter - it's the grand-kids now but it has the same effect.

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  6. Gorgeous post, Claire. :-)

    Things that give me that little hit of happy -- the scent of fresh baked bread, sipping a drink on the front veranda in the afternoon when the sun has dipped below the tree line and everything is hushed and quiet, listening to whatever my current song crush might be, long luxurious baths, walking by the beach and listening to the sound of the surf.

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    1. I'm nodding along as I read. I love all those things too. When I really think about it, there are loads of things that make me happy.

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  7. Claire, I love your big-lift, small moments! And I can relate to so many of the others listed here too.

    I adore the chortle of the magpies in the morning (I can hear them now!), biting into a ham sandwich made with bread not long out of the oven (crisp warm crust, rich butter, salty smoky ham!), stepping into a shower after a day working in the garden (that sluice of clean water washing off perspiration!). Life's full off small delicious moments that are so worth taking the time to savour!

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