Friday, September 10, 2010

What Happy People Know

That's the title of a book by Dan Baker. WHAT HAPPY PEOPLE KNOW. And I have to say I usually cringe when I hear this kind of title. But I must say the book has helped me lots over the past few years, which is why I re-read sections when I feel like I'm LOSING MY MIND.

Here's the bit I liked yesterday: "From that day on, I realized that there was something happy people know that unhappy people don't; No matter what happens in life, there's always something left to love, and the love that remains is always stronger than anything that goes against it." (p. 94)

A response like this puts a person in a powerful position, no?

13 comments:

wjmom said...

Fantastic quote!

And also--are you OK? Because I think you're kinda crazy when you're normal (and I mean that in all the best ways!). So when you say things like "LOSING MY MIND" I worry a leetle bit.

Love is coming your way...

Ann said...

Oh wjmom, I love you so!

Really, in the huge scheme of things I am doing great. I've been unusually blessed in this life, and I am always and forever mindful of that. I truly am.

Right now things are hard on some fronts. Professionally I feel like I'm at a dead end, although I'm trying to view this as an "opportunity for re-invention"" rather than as a "sinkhole into which I am going to disappear forever."

And then a few family members are struggling rather seriously, and while I have great confidence that things will be fine for all of us in the long, long, long, long, LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG run, it's hard to deal daily with things at times.

We've all been there, though. And I've got it so incredibly disgustingly easy in so many ways.

Donna Tagliaferri said...

Dearest Ann -
I have been so guilty of unhappiness. When in fact I am a naturally happy, optimistic person. I let the adversary win. That has been unfortunate.
Then just the other day I decided to focus on today....just today. How many blessings do I have today? It became so much easier to deal with the uncertainty of my day. I have been so caught up in what may happen, that I have lost seeing what is happening. And in some ways my life is bliss. In other ways it is a challenge.
The other day I had all of the cheerleaders over for dinner, I can do pasta for thousands without a problem. Anyway the coach was there, and she is an angel..I asked her if I could have a few more days to put together the balance we owed for my daughter's cheer. Cheerleading is expensive..the coach looked at me and said, you don't have a balance. I knew we did, so I continued on until she stopped me, she said, Emma brought in that money last week, cash. Without telling me my daughter had saved the money from her job and paid it without even telling me. I burst into tears for how wonderful my daughter was. If we had had the money, I never would have seen that side of her, and she would not have had the opportunity to find it in herself. Problems do cause solutions...You make people happy Ann.....every person who reads your columns or this blog does it because we smile, laugh out loud or even sometimes cry. I still remember the column you wrote about baseball, and the storm and your son who passed before he was born...you are a voice we need. And somehow you are going to find a way to scratch that itch. We have not been able to find our way yet. But we will...your family will come back...we win the war, rest assured we win. think of it as a football game already played, already won and you are watching the repeat. It is easy to see interceptions, fumbles, blown calls and touchdowns..no problems, let it come, we win.
I love you Ann...you are my cyber sister.

Donna Tagliaferri said...

ann my response was too large for this, so I emailed it to you....

Donna Tagliaferri said...

ann my response was too large for this, so I emailed it to you....
I love this blog....it's like the coffee klatch I don't have!

Andria said...

So true! Thanks for sharing, Ann.

Valynne said...

Yes, but I really love to complain about stuff.

Lisa B. said...

Thank you for this. I am going to try to make it my mantra.

Marcia said...

I'm going to think about that for a while. I have a couple of naturally happy kids. Once I asked the oldest of them, "What's it like to be Mikaela?" and she replied, "It's awesome!" :)

whirligigdaisy said...

Great post, Ann. You are wonderful. My thought are with you during this rough time. I hate rough times.

donnette perkins said...

Would "The Love That Remains" be a good title for a book? Too sappy sounding? Maybe I should write a book called "What Sappy People Know".

Louise Plummer said...

There is always something left to love--I want that tattooed on my arm.

Melody said...

I love this post. And the comments.

And I can't figure out why you don't have 130 comments, but that's okay. Donnette is here and that's all that matters.

Glad I found you. Your little brother found me on facebook and he made me think of you.