During the deep winter months, while missing the sweet, sweet sun and it's refreshing warmth and revitalizing Vitamin D, I can't help but try to find just a little bit of happiness to make up for the absence of such inspiring rays. It seems I was searching even more during my necessary half hour on the elliptical machine at the wellness center tonight. Each stride became harder and harder as I thought about how much I miss exercising my body under the warm sun outside. I often comment on how quickly time passes, but for some reason on this crazy contraption they call the elliptical, time couldn't go any slower. I don't know if it was my longing for those carefree summer days or just that I had no oomph to do what I was doing at that moment. By now you probably know that the fitness center isn't really my idea of fun, but more a necessary action I force myself to do at times. Anyway, to get to the point, I was reading a magazine in desperation it would make the numbers on the time clock quickly reach 30:00, and I stopped on an article titled "Big Love." It was an article written by the woman who wrote "The Happiness Project," Gretchen Rubin. Well, I'm a sucker for happiness and its sappy stories and couldn't help but soak in the words. The article didn't compare to the inspiring sweet summer sun's rays I'm craving, but after I read it, I felt a little inspired, and I want to share some of it with you:
As my happiness project unfolded, I found one resolution to be particularly effective: "Give proofs of love." This resolution was inspired by something I'd read in college and never forgotten, a remark attributed to French poet Pierre Reverdy: "There is no love. There are only proofs of love." It was true. Whatever love I might feel in my heart, other would see only in my actions. How could I translate "proofs of love" into actions that I could take in my daily routine?
To my surprise, I found that not only did my proofs of love make others feel more loved by me, but they also made me feel more loving toward others. One important lesson I've learned from my happiness project is that although we think that we act because of the way we fell, often we feel because of the way we act. A very effective way to change my emotions is to act the way I wish I felt.
Feeling more loving toward the people in my life, and having them feel more loving toward me, was a change that absolutely boosted my happiness. Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree and this comes as no surprise to anyone--that having strong, affectionate bonds with other people is a key to happiness. In fact, it may be the key to happiness.
In the dead of a cold, dark winter, when I'm searching for warmth--this was a ray of sunshine and it did make the time clock on that machine go a little faster tonight and it felt good.
Spread the love, Windom, spread the love.
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