HappyNess, like the Loch Ness monster, may be a myth; even though most people seem to have found happiness in their lives at one time or another. Being happy is a state of mind; one that is mostly fleeting and has conditions put upon it. There are so many different levels of happiness or being happy that it is almost impossible to define the state in a tangible way. Being happy is a feeling. We can act happy by showing our smiles but in reality we may not be happy. We can disguise happiness with a sad face as well. So the many facets of happiness may challenge us, or taunt us as to whether anyone can define this state from the confusion and multitude of conditions under which being happy or happiness can be defined; therefore being happy and happiness may be two entirely different conditions.

I have found that the state of happiness may emanate from pleasure. Pleasure can be found in many things. When I used to run half marathons, I knew that I was happy for several reasons: For one, I could run; secondly, I knew that endorphins in my brain would “kick-in” and tickle my pleasure center in my brain, thus making me happy, and lastly, having this chemical happiness allowed me to feel happy in return. Cause and effect here was everything. Chemicals are responsible for the state of happiness. It is not prolonged unless we continue to do whatever it is that stimulates the chemicals such as: eating your favorite chocolate pie, giving or getting a hug, or solving Sudoku puzzles when all along you thought that you couldn’t. All of these things allow one to feel happy because our brains are stimulated and producing endorphins as well as other chemicals that increase the body’s ability to feel good. The opposite happens too when we experience something not so good and we get depressed. Other chemicals work
the opposite end of the spectrum to make us depressed and we subsequently feel a whole lot of other emotions.

Those individuals who always seem happy make it happen. I am convinced of that. I know people who wake up happy because they program their dreams to give them pleasure! Funny, but it works. Being happy with oneself is a key ingredient to long life. The more we take pleasure in whom we are, what we do and what we accomplish on a daily basis, the longer we will live. Being creative around this happiness state is what this is all about. Being creative in the sense that one can do things to help other’s, find a new interest, work with ones mind and hands to create art and anything useful, or doing needle point, making quilts, cooking, helping by volunteering at the local USO, Senior Center, Adult Day Health Center, Project Read, school district, or doing any myriad of things which can impart ones’ gifts to other’s bringing happiness to oneself and to other’s as well. Feeling good about what we do in life allows one to be happy.

My motto has always been, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Showing empathy and concern for others and making our environments a better place to live brings happiness to others.

I once went to Loch Ness and visited a little pub, where
everyone there had sworn to have seen the monster. They were
all happy and filled with a sense of wonder and beer.
But finding “HappyNess” for most of us doesn’t take alcohol or a mythical creature. It takes persistence, commitment, and the belief that each day we are blessed with life is a day that brings happiness to ourselves and others; some of whom we don’t even know.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. How old are you?….”I’m four and a half” ….You’re never 36 and a half….you’re four and a half going on five!
That’s the key. You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number. How old are you? “I’m gonna be 16.” You could be 12, but you’re gonna be 16.

And then the greatest day of your life happens… You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony….you BECOME 21… YES! But then you turn 30…  Ooohhh what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk… He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now.

What’s wrong?? What changed?? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40…stay over there, it’s all slipping away….

So you BECOME 21, you TURN 30, you’re PUSHING 40, you REACH 50, you MAKE IT to 60 …… then you build up so much speed you HIT 70!

After that, it’s a day by day thing. After that, you HIT Wednesday… You get into your 80′s, you HIT lunch. My grandmother won’t even buy green bananas … It’s an investment you know, and maybe a bad one. It doesn’t end there …. into the 90′s you start going backwards… I was JUST 92…

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again …. “I’m 100 and a half!”

Water is the nourishment of life. We need water to keep us alive. We need water to stay hydrated. We need water to lubricate our brains and joints, make our organs functional, filter our impurities and cleanse our bodies. Water is a rare commodity that we take for granted.

We turn on the spigot and there it is, but is it? What is good to drink..tap water , bottled water, filtered water, deionized water, fluoridated water, or not at all? Bottled water contains chemicals that can cause cancer, especially if the plastic bottles sit in the sun for a while. Tap water and even spring water can have impurities and bacteria in it. Even bottled waters of all kinds have traces of bacteria in them. Bottled water in glass is much more pure but needs to be ionized to take out the heavy metals. Totally pure distilled water is alright to drink but one may not get the minerals and electrolytes that are important for our cells to innervate themselves.

Water is an enigma as a commodity. Water that is pure is rare and it is costly to buy. We have a a reverse osmosis system in our home because our tap water comes from a well in our community and may have an inordinate amount of both chemiclas that are added by the community water district and other impurities inherent in the water itself. The reverse osmosis system takes out the heavy metals that have been proven to damage brain cells over time as well as affecting our internal organs.

You may want to do your own investigating as to what kind of water you want to drink. Other factors are the economic ramifications of water, and that means investigating how the water is produced or mined and who is being exploited in the process. Some companies are known to exploit the native people whose land the water is taken from by big business not giving back to the local economy. Other companies may claim to use spring water, when it is only local tap water. So it is a good idea to know before you go. Think before you drink…..

We all need water to survive. Find out what is good for you both physically and mentally and drink until your urine is clear. Then you have had enough to drink for the moment.