I took a Peloton happiness meditation session this weekend. Part of the instruction was to reflect back on a moment when we knew we were happy and to reflect on the physical feelings it invoked.
The images that flashed through my mind surprised me.
- My 25th birthday in Kenya, standing alone in a field with the wind blowing around me.
- Sitting on the porch at my childhood babysitter’s home during a summer rainstorm.
- Reading on the screened in porch at my grandparents’ farm cabin.
- Sitting on the beach in Zanzibar at night, looking at the southern stars and listening to the waves.
- Driving on a scenic byway with Kelly, windows down and music off.
- Glory Be tearing across a parking lot to say hi to me.
- Jasper kneading and purring when it’s finally his time in the evening.
- Bridget hopping off a garden shed when we called for her, after running away from the petsitter for a week-long escapade.
- Oliver coming home from the hospital and sleeping with me as he healed.
- Spotting a single Gerbera daisy on my car seat, left for me by my husband.
- Watching the fire crackle on a cold night.
Happiness is a feeling and happiness is a moment. I realized it’s possible to be happy even while you’re sad or lonely, and it’s possible to be happy for no reason at all other than acknowledging the wonder of God’s creation.