It's something I've been thinking about today: how can I live today's happiness, not just seek happiness for tomorrow? My previous thread about becoming more known as gay has gotten me thinking. How do I define happiness for myself, and can I find that happiness here and now? I don't want to spend my days trying to escape and head for greener pastures; nor do I want to spend my days despairing over the happiness I should have had years ago. I want to be happy right this second. How to even start doing that... It's a question I've never actually asked myself.
By asking yourself, your probably farther down the path towards that goal than you might think. Live for today. With that, be happy today. This is a concept that we should all strive for, as Ferris Bueller points out, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." While I loved this quote, I actually never truly understood it until very recently. Like Ferris, I did recently stop and look around, and realized I am exactly where I want to be. All the work, effort, ups and downs, got me to the point of being happy for today. Not tomorrow. At what point does one get here? Well, just do what your doing, continue on your journey. One day, when your not expecting it, your going to look around and realize your happy, and stop thinking about the future. Crazydog, your making great progress and an inspiration for many reading your threads. I look forward to continue reading your posts.
Crazydog, I think that was a stage I went through, too. I spent a bit of time really being sad over what I missed by not coming out sooner. One of my friends really pushed for me to accept my past as just part of my story and to embrace the good things that came out of it. So, I've learned that being content that the past taught me certain lessons, and gave me 3 beautiful boys makes it the right path, even if it wasn't a perfect one. Now that path has lead me to find love. Hopefully you, too, can find peace with your past. As for hopes for tomorrow, it's good to have hope as well as loving what you have right now. We need to plan and prepare for the future and also enjoy each day we have, in case tomorrow never comes.
Crazydog I think a lot of people think that to be happy they need to do everything that will make them happy. Good job, great relationship, Activities they enjoy, family etc. I don't think it works that way. Happiness is found in simple things that you build on. I have things that I know will make me happy without fail...Regardless of the rest of my life. Find one thing, then another, and build on it. The search is not to find a life that makes you happy and fulfilled, it is finding some happiness and creating a life that nurtures it.
Personally, I look for a positive aspect in everything that happens to me. (For example, I had a minor accident the other week and got a big dent in my car. I had to take it to a body shop for repairs. Since I had to leave it overnight, I asked a neighbor if she could pick me up and bring me home - and then drop me off again when my car was repaired. My neighbor and I hadn't talked in quite a while, so we had the opportunity to catch up during the drives. That was a nice thing that came out of my accident.) And I'm always looking to find humor in things. I love to laugh. Have a good laugh today, crazydog. It will do you a world of good!:lol: And reassure you that you are still ALIVE!
I've been trying to figure that out for quite a while. Everyone says to live in the moment, don't worry about tomorrow, etc etc. Easier said than done right? I guess the key is figuring out who or what is stopping you from being happy and content. Could be ghosts from the past. But they're in the past right? How can they control you now? Or maybe its worry about tomorrow. Career goals (can't do anything that might mess that up right?) So what about just for today? Or even the next few hours? I think once you ask yourself what's stopping you, I can begin to realize how little power it has over you. Sure, I regret all the time (and youth) I squandered. But if I don't do the things that make me happy today, then tomorrow, I will look on today with regret. So, who or what is stopping you today?
