HAPPINESS IS CONTAGIOUS

Hadn’t flicked over my desk calendar for almost two weeks as I’ve hardly been here to sit in front of the computer. Pre conference chaos, conference itself, then post conference tiredness has meant I’ve only done the bare minimum, especially in terms of housework. Thought for today on the calendar is Happiness is contagious. Start an epidemic today.

Sounds simple enough, probably trite to some, but there’s certainly an element of truth there. We’re in the middle of Adams Family celebration week, three birthdays and a wedding anniversary all in one week, so we all got together today with half an interest in the Grand Final rematch which was supposed to be a bang but fizzled to a whimper.

Bella had been to her best friend’s 5th birthday party at the The Fairies Shop so was looking very fairy princess like, and proceeded to rope most of us into spending the rest of the afternoon drawing which was a great hit. Even Zandar who is 16 months old got into the act, liberally covering his hands as well as the paper with the textas in between trying to taste test each colour.

It’s amazing how something so simple when enjoyed together really can be contagious. We can waste so much of our lives in the pursuit of happiness, for if we do, happiness as an end in itself will always elude us. For me, happiness is a by-product of life, only found when we pursue other things outside ourselves. Funnily enough, in the process of focusing on others and getting out there with a bunch of people doing something for someone else, the outcome brings a smile to your face and a sense of being in the right place at the right time.

Sometimes it takes a massive catastrophe like 9/11 or the Boxing Day tsunami or the floods in Pakistan for us to realise we are not the centre of the universe. The pain and suffering is on such an enormous scale we feel helpless, and the tendency can even be to switch off to the horror of it all as we withdraw into what we feel we can manage. Beyond making a donation to relief appeals there may not be other ways we can respond to these huge disasters, but making conscious decisions on whatever scale to step out of our immediate worlds and reach out to those of another certainly won’t hurt us.

So, here’s to birthdays and any other family get together or community celebration where you can simply sit around and enjoy each other’s company and be yourself, looking out for each other and finding ways to bring a little joy into someone else’s life. Sowing the seeds of joy or happiness or peace or reconciliation in even one person’s life can reap benefits many times over.