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February 12, 2005
Happiness
Today I worked until 4pm, and then came home, worked on my library project until it got dark out, ate dinner and sat down at my computer to write. But nothing came out. Instead I watched a little TV, read an article in the Reader’s Digest about how new scanning technology can enhance the clarity of an old recording of the JFK assassination. Interesting. It could prove definitively how many shots were fired.
Then I put on a new CD I bought last night at the coffee shop. Six hours west of Waco lies a town called Odessa, Texas. It’s also the title song of the new CD by Draper Daniels. They sing, “I’ve always had this urge to see Odessa, I confess I just like the name.” And I confess that I like this group. They have good music and are pleasant to talk to. So here I am listing to their music at home too. As they sang, “It’s not looking good for going to Odessa, I won’t get there this time around,” I realized that I like the sound on this CD.
Today at the library I walked by the book sale isle to see if anything caught my eye. First I looked through the magazines for forty cents each and then I looked at the rack of books for a dollar each. Then it nearly hit me between the eyes: Finding your Religion by Rev. Scotty McLennan. This is the guy that inspired Garry Trudeau’s character Reverend Scot Sloan in Doonesbury. It’s interesting reading about how people find, lose and find their faith. I can’t believe this book only cost me a dollar. What a deal. Now you see why I’m building a library.
I got six shelves painted tonight and the top to my desk to match the shelving. Tonight I moved the shelving units into the room and positioned them. Once I had them in there, I realized it looked horrible so I had to rearrange them. That took me over an hour to find something balanced and functional. Now I have to secure them together, put the shelves in, put up the blinds and the molding around the ceiling and finish painting my desk. Then I will move my computer in there, set up the library database and start cataloging and organizing my books. That will be a spiritual journey I think, at least a trial of my patience and fortitude. Chapter one of Finding your Religion: The Mountain Beckons. ;-)
As I was sitting here contemplating that I also looked at a paper I had saved to read later. In the Sunday, February 6, 2005 Pioneer Press, there was an article about Happiness, called, “What’s right with you?” Happiness and positive thinking are buzzwords now days as more and more people are claiming the powers of positive thinking. The article said that researchers claim that 50 percent of happiness is genetic, about 10 percent life circumstances and 40 percent that we can potentially influence. The article also says that people can learn to be hopeful. Yes, it’s true. But learning to be happy is often hard work along with change of attitude.
I wasn’t always happy. I changed inside. The source of my happiness changed. Instead of work or money or other people even being the source of my happiness, now I find it like a steady flowing river inside. Now I know from experience that we can change inside and that there is hope.
Posted by carl1236 at February 12, 2005 11:55 PM | Attitude
Comments
An unimportant point: I used to live in Odessa. There's a University of Texas branch there where I went to grad school.
You haven't missed much. The landscape blows through the air, and "culture" spots are few and far between. But the environment generates some warm, eccentric, and interesting people! I'll never forget some of the characters I met.
Sam
Posted by: Sam_S at February 19, 2005 8:08 AM