IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Discontent, war, unrest, unhappiness, pain, separation - these are not pleasant moods, circumstances, or places of the heart to be in and yet it is well to remember (if one can) that out of the ashes of these come peace, contentment, joy, and unity.

Intellectually I know this but at those times when it is the darkest and most painful, it is not easy to find this truth able to give instant relief to the emotions and the feelings that arise.

At times when we are being ignored, shunned, forgotten; times when we have gone through a separation from someone we love through circumstances of death or just a parting of the ways; times when every thing we have attempted seems to fail; times when there seems no up and plenty of down; times when it seems you have no real purpose to perform; times when you can't figure out what the next step is or you have lost your way; and times when everywhere you look there is pain, ignorance, and wars of all types, it is not easy to rejoice, to have a sense of well-being. It is not always easy to try for the brass ring. It is not always easy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It is not easy to even want to go on but it can be done. At least I keep telling myself those things at those times. :)

I recently saw the movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness" (yes, it is spelled with a "y" in the title). It was all about keeping on keeping on and having hope in the middle of seemingly impossible odds. It is also all about how important it is for others who are significant in our lives to cheer us on, to support us, and to believe in us even when we are not sure how anybody could.

I suppose if we do not believe in the potential within us, other's support of us would not get very far. And maybe the horrific things we sometimes go through can serve to force us to find that potential within and to know that the Spirit within us is always ready and available if we but will surrender to It.