Happiness is a Warm Puppy

I don’t think I’ve ever read the book referenced above. If I did, it was years ago when I was a kid. I decided to start here just because today was a nice sunny day with milder temperatures than we’ve had the last couple of days. More of a true fall day and it just made me feel happy.

So why am I inside working at a computer instead of being outside enjoying the glorious day? In fairness, I did take Rocco the wonder dog for a walk so I have been outside. But even with the sun, the air and wind temperatures aren’t really that comfortable. It isn’t a day where you’d sit outside and enjoy it so I soaked up what I could on the walk.

There were bluebirds all over the little section of woods we were walking through. When the sun hit them right, the blue color just exploded. Such a contrast to the rest of the scenery since the bright greens of summer are gone and even the color of the leaves has been muted a bit.

Then again, I’m most at home in the woods just enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. But it did get me to thinking about happiness (nature can turn me super introspective). There’s a lot of bad stuff going on out there and if that is all you focus on, then it would likely be impossible to be happy. Better to set that aside from time to time and just enjoy the good moments that life gives you.

Now, I’m also certainly able to see both sides of things and, while I do love this quote, it is kind of simplistic. It is easier to find happiness in the small moments in life when other needs (food, shelter, etc) are met. And certainly health plays a big part. It is hard to be happy if you are in constant pain or dealing with some debilitating illness. But I think the general sentiment is true. Chasing after some thing in the belief that it will make you happy is a recipe for disappointment.

The morning muscle group (that’s what they call it) was still occupying the space I like to use at the gym so I did some work in the main room until their class was over. More and more, I’m starting to feel comfortable there and I guess I do like the fact that we have people at all stages in the fitness journey. It makes me feel less stressed about my own inadequacies for one. Plus, I can just feel a certain kind of energy because everyone there is trying in one way or another and that creates a certain positive vibe.

I ran into a lot of people at work who would sort of marvel that I found the time to get to the gym. And then they’d offer the standard material about why they couldn’t get there. I’d never call anyone out for stuff like this but I think you make time for what is important and clearly exercise wasn’t at the top of their list.

So just had an interesting life moment. While I was sitting here thinking about happiness, I got a call from one of my old teammates. It’s weird but she still likes to share her job search stories and ask for my thoughts on things. That’s the part of being an semi mentor that I never really got used to – that people would actively seek out my opinion on issues regarding their live.

Anyway, she was all excited about the latest round of interviews because the people were, in her words, “more human”. The problem with this job is that the pay is less and the hours are screwy but it felt right to her. She’s still in competition for a different job that pays more and offers flex time but just didn’t feel like as good of a fit.

I think she just needed someone to tell her that she wouldn’t be crazy for turning down the job that paid more. This just fits into the whole happiness conversation because I’m totally on board with following your heart and taking something that fits better. You can’t buy happiness and working at a job you hate because it pays more is not a good deal. You spend too much time at work to spend it being unhappy because, sooner or later, that bleeds into your life in other ways.

It’s like this other guy who asked me to be a reference for him. I did actually get a call from the HR department at that company and we had a nice chat. I relayed all that stuff to him as well. He’s in a nicely paying job for a big company but major parts of it don’t really fit him that well. Again, the things we think will make us happy often don’t in the long run.

So maybe I should end this here. Happiness does vary from person to person but I do believe it has to start within. And considering your own happiness should be a big factor in taking a job offer. Don’t be blinded by money or other benefits. If a job doesn’t fit, those won’t be much comfort.

I hope you have a happy day!