One hears a great deal about the word happy.
Are you happy?
What makes you happy?
Are you happy all the time and on and on?
Because happy seems to be a word that evokes much discussion one must wonder why this whole obsession with feeling elated?
Is happiness what we seek or aspire to achieve?
Can it be achieved at all?
Is happy a state of being or a state of mind?
Can we make ourselves happy or must happiness come through outside sources?
I hate to confuse the issue any more, but lately I’ve been wondering if happy is just a synonym for content?
Are the words related or even the same?
And is one state of being better than the other?
You must be thinking I have a great deal of time on my hands to sit and ponder words, but are they just words?
Or are they something much greater? Are they actually the building blocks for what creates our ability to live a good life?
I think words are in many ways quite responsible for how we live and fulfill our existence.
So can we be happy all the time? Of course not.
Let’s face it, life throws lots of curveballs our way and sometimes we don’t hit it over the fence.
I’m sure like me life has delivered you a walk or two and you found yourself standing on first base wondering why you couldn’t smash it out of the park.
Some would say there is a big difference between the two words, happy and content. I disagree. Babies don’t know if they’re happy or content. They just coo when fed and dry and place no labels on the feeling.
Happy is the gold standard while content seems to be its orphaned silver cousin. Settling for second best for those that can’t achieve happiness to the fullest.
If someone asks how you are and you say content their first reaction is, “content, why aren’t you happy?”
But what really is happy? And is it exhausting to maintain?
I imagine it varies with each person.
What makes us happy is a very personal and selective option.
Some are happy with lots of money, or love, family, a job or any number of things one may conjure up.
Yet no matter what the reason for your happiness it can easily deflate, like a balloon in a storm.
You can be happy one minute and the next in despair. Circumstances change our mood drastically depending on what life sends our way.
So if happiness is so elusive and easily replaced by gloom, why battle so hard to achieve it?
That’s where contentment comes into the picture.
I’ve learned we simply can’t be happy all the time. Oh sure despair, we’d like to be, but that’s quite improbable. Rationalization helps, like when you break your leg and say, “Oh well it could have been both legs.” If that works go for it.
So how do we find that balance between being elated and being deflated?
It’s as if we are always on an emotional roller coaster.
Some say they are always happy and see the bright side of every situation. To them I ask, have you any extra drugs to share?
If God had designed man to be happy all the time he wouldn’t have sent the snake into the Garden of Eden. Yep, that rascal became part of the plan and now despite how much we’d love to feel great all the time, it ain’t gonna happen.
If we are supposed to be happy all the time, why are those other pesky emotions hanging around our psyche?
Sorrow, anger, disappointment, etc, all seem to exist in there too?
So why is contentment actually the better choice?
I offer that it’s because it’s so much easier to achieve.
Content conjures up visions of a cow like Elsie grazing the fields all day chewing on grass.
But is that really so bad? Isn’t it a good thing to be content with our life all the time despite what happens to impede on some desired happiness?
On a regular day when we are simply existing and filling our hours with stuff that needs attending to, is it so bad to just be content we are able to breathe and live in the moment?
I am always content in the knowledge I accomplished my tasks for the day, starting with making my bed. Yet to say I was happy about my bed kind of takes the meaning away from being happy about winning the lottery.
Content covers it perfectly. We can feel good when we are content.
I am content sitting here and writing this blog. Or hot cocoa and a Hallmark movie, or finding a perfect pair of boots for winter.
Happy should be saved for special occasions like your good china. If we bring it out too often the dishes begin to chip and even break while hand washing them.
There is something comfortable about feeling content. Your life is on track and moving effortlessly. No highs, no lows, no oops, what just happened? You just move along on a stable course.
The higher the high the lower the fall while content keeps you on an even keel. We feel responsible for our happiness and making it last. Contentment is a more natural and easy state to achieve and maintain.
You can feel good about your existence even when you are not ecstatic or jumping for joy.
What is so bad about simply floating quietly through space?
Must we always seek to jump over the moon? And there is that cow reference again.
Many believe happiness is a choice we make each day. I applaud the effort and it’s admirable to choose happy.
Yet it’s also quite acceptable to admit we are merely content, living our life and saving our energy for times we may need it most.
Kind of like a jogger that slows the pace and occasionally speeds up to win the race.
I don’t know why being contented with one’s life takes a back seat to happy. Perhaps they are meant to simply complement one another.
As Roy Rogers used to say, “Happy trails to you,” but if the trail is only contented, I argue it’s okay to just be okay.
Here’s one of my Thanksgiving recipes I love
Happy Holidays!
Pumpkin Blueberry Mousse
With Pumpkin Candy Crunch Topping
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
7 ounces of cream cheese
1 ½ cups whipped cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8/ tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix sugar and cream cheese until whipped nicely.
Add pumpkin and seasonings
Mix well. Set aside and whip cream until peaked.
Fold all but 1½ into pumpkin mixture. Set aside rest of whipped cream for topping.
Fold in blueberries and pour into parfait glasses or martini glasses. Top with whipped cream. If you don’t want berries you can leave them out.
Place in fridge to set.
Pumpkin Seed Candy Crunch
Place two tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar in non-stick frying pan.
When melted and combined add ½ cup of pumpkin seeds (Not roasted or salted)
Sauté on low heat (watch carefully so they don’t burn) for about five minutes until seeds are nicely coated.
Remove from burner and place in fridge to harden.
When set and butter is hardened remove crunch from pan and chop up into pieces. Not too small but small enough to fit on top of mousse.
Bring mousses back out and top with crunchies.
Enjoy!!!