Happiness is.....

About five years ago, when I was very sick and believed I was dying, a doctor asked me what gave me joy. I had no answer. As I began feeling better I made a practice of noticing the little things that gave me pleasure. And now I believe that we can re-train our minds, rather easily, to focus on the good that comes our way.

A week or so ago I came across a newspaper article detailing a recent research study showing which decades of our lives are the worst...and the best. The 40s, it seems, are difficult for many of us. For me, the 40s were the absolute bottom of everything. Interestingly enough however, the 50s and 60s and 70s are the happiest times, so say the scientists. In my experience the 60s are the very, very best so far. It was after I was diagnosed with a particularly lethal cancer and expected to die within that year -- and didn't -- and didn't the next year either, or the next -- it was during that time that I began to feel amazingly happy. Each year has been an increase in contentment, pleasure and peace. If you click on the image it will enlarge so you can read it.

So this evening I made a collage of the article and my thoughts.