Shine brightly

Mary Davis has a simple formula for happiness.  “Shine brightly.  See beauty.  Speak kindly.  Create joyfully.  Live thankfully.”  If there was ever a time for adopting her formula it is now.  I’m no Pollyanna, but I discovered long ago that negative thinking sets me up for unhappiness and failure.  In fact, viewing everything through a distrustful and jaundiced eye just makes matters seem so much worse.   I understand the need for criticism, but please, let’s focus on constructive criticisms.  What’s The point of being obstructionist just for the sake of being obstructionist?  

        See beauty, Mary Davis tells us. That’s a good place to start, as beauty is everywhere. Our world is filled with so many beautiful things, sounds, images, feelings, opportunities; that all we have to do is take time to look.  Even on the darkest of days, we are still surrounded by beauty.  Frequently, for instance, winter’s foggy atmosphere or dusk makes our little housing development look like an impressionist painting. Even the plainest bird is stunningly beautiful when examined closely.  Hearty weeds push their green shoots through darkened soil promising a greening spring.  Our resident squirrel flaunts his amazing tail.  A giant pine stands tall against a grey sky.  I see beauty everywhere I look.

      Speak kindly. The tiny book of James, which is tucked into the back of the New Testament, has a lot to say about speaking kindly and/or thoughtlessly.  What’s important is that it takes no more effort to be kind and thoughtful than it does to be cruel and demeaning, but the end results are radically different. One builds relationships and community while the other tears them down.  Several articles in today’s paper were about the connection of friendly relationships with happiness and improved health.  Why save our good moods and manners for social occasions but feel free to dump our bad moods and cutting remarks on family and close friends?  Why not ”I love you” or “thank you?” instead of “you never…” or “you always…”  We humans may be resilient,  but we are also fragile.  Some of our deepest wounds are the result of thoughtless remarks, while a compliment or “good job” can transform another’s life.

      Create joyfully.  Writing these blogs gives me a sense of satisfaction, of contributing something in a small way.  I have no illusions that my ramblings will change the world, but I find pleasure in writing.  I get delight in feedback.  Determined to find positivity reminds me to practice what I preach.  Creating quilts from scraps and leftover fabric not only gives me a chance to create something beautiful, but it reminds me that we live in a world of abundance and it’s a matter of sharing and distribution, not scarcity, that’s the problem.

       Live thankfully. One of the first things I do each morning before I get up is lie in bed and tell God all of the things for which I am grateful.  My bed.  My sheets and blankets,  A warm house. Clean clothing.  Shoes and socks.  Soap and water.  Focusing on gratitude rather than on my fears and concerns helps to set the tone for my day.  When I feel down, I remind myself that gratitude is a choice.  I choose to be grateful because it helps me stay healthy and happy.

      Shine brightly. That is: see beauty. Speak kindly. Create joyfully. Live gratefully.  Shining brightly is so much easier on everyone than being grumpy and negative. After all, it all depends on what we choose to see and hear, where we put our emphasis, how we choose to react, and whether we want to be friendly and happy.  As Henri Nouwen once wrote, “the discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and all I have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.”  And it’s meant to be passed on!