Wonderful Spring
Marie Snider
Saturday, March 22, 2008
There are so many reasons to be happy in the spring:
Sunny yellow daffodils and forsythia. The nostalgic fragrance of old-fashioned purple lilacs. Long evenings before dark comes. Open doors and windows. A rainbow after a spring storm.
And most of all the greening of the world. The newness and rebirth of everything around us.
Yes, there are so many reasons to be happy in the spring. Yet, my mother in her later years said that she always felt a little depressed in the spring.
That was not like my mother. She was a do-er, with lots of projects, lots of friends and an upbeat disposition. She used to tell her friends, “If you feel down in the dumps bake some cookies.” That was what she did when she couldn’t sleep or felt sad.
But somehow, spring was different for her. And I understand.
I imagine she remembered working in the sugar bush when her beloved Nick was alive — he gathering the sap from the maple trees and she tending the boiling vats. Then sharing together a dessert of hot syrup on white bread in the boiling shed.
She probably, also, remembered the beautiful carpet of wildflowers in the woods — adder’s tongues, violets, trilliums and other northern flowers.
And she always missed her sisters after she was transplanted to tornado alley! That was the worst thing of all, fearing tornadoes during the spring months.
So I understand why she was a little disheartened in the spring. But what a waste of happiness!
In her book “Happy for No Reason,” Marci Shimoff reports that less than 30 percent of people report being deeply happy. Only 30 percent — imagine that!
And on top of that, 40 percent of the people on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans are less happy than the average American.
“Although our lifestyles are better than ever, we’re unhappier than ever. It seems the more gadgets and goods we gather, the worse we feel,” writes Shimoff.
So why aren’t we happy?
The problem, according to Shimoff, is that real happiness is an inside job. It is not related to things or to the seasons. It is not related to career success or to anything else “out there.”
Shimoff, who interviewed 100 “happy people” for her book, says that happy people just have different habits.
She quotes brain researcher Richard Davidson, who says happiness is a skill that needs to be learned. It is no different than learning to play tennis or a musical instrument.
“It is possible to train our brains to be happy,” Davidson says.
Shimoff suggests some habits to get rid of if you want to be happy — negative thoughts and words, blame, anger and jealousy.
Instead, make peace with yourself, she advises. Incline your mind toward joy. Play the gratitude game. Nourish your body in healthy ways. And when difficult things come along, try to be a good problem-solver.
It’s worthwhile to be happy. It’s good for your health. And there’s no better time to be happy than in the spring!
So this spring, smile at everyone you meet. And try to practice what Shimoff suggests, “Free your mind, open your heart, and be happy in the moment.”
F Write Marie Snider at thisside60@aol.com or visit her website at www.visit-snider.com.
lewisedmund (anonymous) says...
there is a really interesting conversation between Richard Davidson the brain researcher and Daniel Goleman (author of emotional intelligence) that relates strongly to this article. one can listen to free samples of the dialogue at morethansound dot net
March 24, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Ah yes, Zen. The doctrine of Dharma is to replace negative with positive. Why even my windchimes seem to sound more melodious in the spring.
In "The Art of Happiness," the Dalai Lama speaks of achieving happiness through training the mind, not in the cognitive sense, but in the spiritual sense which includes intellect and feeling. "Generally speaking, one begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness and those factors which lead to suffering. Having done this, one then sets about gradually eliminating those factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to happiness. That is the way."
Most westerners believe happiness to be something akin to chance, and not something for which we can train. The word itself comes from the Icelandic word "happ" meaning luck.
Takes discipline, that's for sure. I sometimes believe I need lots of training.
Thanks for the website, lewis. Very interesting stuff.
March 24, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gabby (anonymous) says...
I love spring. It makes me happy. I love the colors and the smell, and I love sunshine.
Create, is there nothing you aren't proficient in?
March 24, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
LOL Gabby. I read a lot. I was an English teacher for many, many years so reading is part of my discipline and I just plain love to read. Non-fiction mostly. Also, I'm from Hawaii so Zen and Buddhism is part of the ethnic landscape where I grew up.
There's a lot I don't know. I can't drive a nail to save my soul. I wish I could wield an axe so I could get rid of a couple of tree stumps. I'm afraid of chain saws. Every year, when my doors get stuck because the house shifts, I have to hire someone to fix them. The list goes on and on, but if I tell you more you'll think I'm stupid. There goes my cover. :)
Happy Spring, Gabby.
March 24, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )