Happiness Moments

Today was like any other day …. It started with turning the coffee maker on, letting Isla out, bringing Isla in, getting her breakfast ready and then finally sitting down to read the paper on computer with my much-needed coffee.

And like any other day, at least any day in the last 7 months, I started to feel sad, because of all the negative news. Then I did something foolish – I began counting the negative stories and even individual nasty words I saw as I was reading the Globe and Mail.

I wasn’t surprised…. that doesn’t truly describe it. It was more like horrified, heart stopping dismay. Emergency room shutdowns, soccer player death, Russian attacks, alleged heists…the stories kept coming and coming. According to Sandra E. Martin at the Globe, 73% of Canadians get their news digitally. So, there’s 73% or more of us who are tapping into the Globe, CNN, Fox, CTV, whatever else is out there, and getting hammered by the never-ending malevolent stories. No wonder so many of us have low resilience rates, which can result in some serious challenges related to mental health.

As I’ve said over and over, we need to do our best to find those things in our lives that bring us joy; or even just generate some quiet happiness for a moment. Or two.

So, on my run this morning, I gave some serious thought to feelings…feelings of comfort, of relief, of wonder, of belonging, and more. I came up with 5 examples of feelings that stopped me in my tracks and reminded me that, even in the dark times that seem to be closing in on us (metaphorically speaking) there is light all around us.

Feelings of connection

Yesterday, I sat outside on my deck here at Bracken Lodge, and “met” with my friends Rochelle and Susan. Ro lives in Toronto; Susan lives in Rhode Island. But because of the wonders of technology, I got to share a morning coffee, some stories and much laughter with these two humans that mean so much to me. For almost an hour, I was connected, listened to and loved.

Feelings of belonging

I spend part of the year here in Cape Breton, but most of the year in Belfountain, Ontario. Yet I know I belong here for so many small reasons. Like this morning, out on that same run, my neighbour Tommy drove by in his little green MG, a huge grin on his face and his arm straight up in the air waving at me. And I get the same grin and wave when he’s driving an enormous front-end loader, working on the local bridge. He reminds me that I belong here. 

Feelings of wonder

Isla is a cattle dog, and cattle dogs are NOT known for their swimming ability. Yet when we go to the river with Suzi and her 3 German shorthair pointers, who are natural swimmers, Isla must swim or be left behind.

She’s learning to venture into the river and steer with her strong tail, even in the heavy current if the other dogs are already swimming ahead. But yesterday, she amazed me by launching herself into the water, without even glancing at me or the dogs, and crossing the river. I was awestruck and amazed. I have a swimming dog!

Feelings of anticipation (and delight)

The salmon are not coming into the river right now because there is so little water. But there is enough for trout, and when I take my 5 weight rod to Long Pool, I am filled with anticipation….and nothing else. No worry, no anxiety, and no negative stories in my head from the news. None of that. Instead, I focus on my dry fly as it lands gently on the water, waiting for something to happen. And when a brook trout rises to swallow my fly, I am suddenly and unbelievably overflowing with delight. The tug is the drug, so we say, and it feels as if the line is directly connected to my heart.

Feelings of relief

As I said, the river is low, and we’ve had so little rain. Lying in bed last night, listening to the rain pound down on the roof, the relief was palpable, as I thought about how the river would swell, just a bit, and what it would mean for the salmon.

Neil Pasricha is a researcher and writer who lives in Toronto. His work focuses on themes of gratitude, happiness, failure, resilience, connection, and trust. I was listening to a podcast he did with Alie Ward where he talked about how he was looking into the science of gratitude and how to better survive some really tough times. And that is what got me thinking about these truly tough times we’re in now, and what we can each do to help ourselves. And then each other.

Recognizing and writing down those feelings that I experienced over the span of a few days reminded me that wonderful things happen all the time. They are not usually huge, earth-shattering events. They are small and can be overlooked. But despite their smallness, they keep me grounded, less fearful and evoke a sense of peace that I lose when reading the news.

They are not huge, earth-shattering events. But despite their smallness, they keep me grounded, less fearful and evoke a sense of peace that I lose when reading the news.

And I also know that counting blessings rather than burdens (psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-01140-012) ; or simply recognizing those good feelings rather than the negative ones is not a panacea to the challenges of the world. But the feelings of happiness I experience, those momentary joyous blips in my day, can seep through me and spread to others, and serve to build a happier community.

“Happiness is.. Playing with Bubbles”

Please take a moment and try to identify those feelings that you can celebrate. I found 5. What will you find? I promise, you will feel better and be amazed at all the positive things going on all around you!