Listen:
Sit in silence and see how much there is to hear.
Listen to people.
What are they really saying?
Listen to the very last notes of every song.
Listen to your own inner voice -
the one you hear only when the dim of every day
is diminished.
Hear the rustle of a leaf, the call of a grasshopper,
the pop and crackle of wood burning.
Listen through your feet and through your hands.
Listen with your heart
and always listen to that which is never spoken.

Touch:
Touch the part of your own body that you love.
Embrace in the bakery, in the parking lot,
in the doorways all over town.
Kiss people on the cheek.
Cuddle your children every day.
Stroke your cat more, pet your dog more.
Savour the kalaidascope of flavour
in your favourite desert.
Enjoy the sensation of a silky scarf,
of a well-sanded piece of wood.
Moss, bark, rocks, trees, grass
and the water work, too.
The more you do it,
the less you bump up against the "ouch" in touch.

Receive:
For once, stop giving, giving,
giving to everyone but yourself.

Accept a compliment with grace.
Voice what you need -
be it a hug, a moment of talk,
food for your table, a loan of money
- and know that it will be provided.

Loosen your white-knuckled,
stressed-out grasp on life,
and then let the palms of your hands
fill to overflowing.

Know that you deserve all you receive,
and remember to show your gratitude,
for the sheer magnificence
of a life lived well.
~  Rachel Snyder

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby,
then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more
content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be happy when they leave that stage behind!
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act
together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice holiday, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now.
If not, when?

Time waits for no-one...

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school,
until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds,
until you have kids, until your kids leave home,
until you start work, until you retire,
until you get married, until you get divorced,
until Friday night, until Sunday morning,
until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off,
until spring, until summer, until Autumn, until winter,
until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth,
until your song comes on, until your ship comes in,
until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up,
until you die.

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
~ Hyman Judah Schactel