Happiness is a journey, not a destination

I mentioned that my sister came for dinner the other evening and she gave me a little card- kind of like an early Valentine's Day card. But this card had quite a profound message that has synergy with my message about being thankful. "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." This quote, credited to Father Alfred D. Souza, has within it a very powerful message about life, and about finding or recognizing your life- your real life.

The quote is part of a larger message about waiting for real life to begin. You see, when we are younger we think that when we achieve certain goals or milestones then our "real" life will begin. When we are finally educated, or married, or in that perfect career then our "real life" will begin. When we lose those unwanted pounds and buy "skinny" clothes, then we will be happy and start to really live. In fact, our real life began the day we were born and that journey continues straight forward until we pass on. Every moment throughout our lives is part of the journey. It takes an awakening in one's life to see our journey as our real life and to make the most of each and every moment along the way.

There is this unspoken misconception when we are younger that everything is supposed to fall into place and our lives will turn out fine. If we do certain things then other things will fall into place. When in fact, more times than not, trouble and heartache seem to find each of us along our pathways, and that's okay. In fact, it's the way it's supposed to be. Whether we like it or not, we must go through those difficult times, for it's during those times that our real inner strength and courage is brought to bear and our attitude is perfected. Like gold tried in a furnace of earth, it must be heated many times to remove the impurities so that a precious gem can emerge. I see difficult times in a similar manner, that through these times the impurities of our spirit are forced out or perfected and what emerges in the end is a human being with less imperfections, less negativity and a better quality of character.

Of course I am preaching to myself at the moment, because if truth be told, as I mentioned earlier, I am going through a very difficult time right now and I am trying to maintain my strength and keep my positive attitude in the forefront, otherwise my dark side will start to creep through and trust me- it just gets ugly after that. So this journey that I am on right now, albeit not what I wanted or expected, is my real life. The only comfort that I can find during this time is that even in difficult times, blessings can be found. If I can stay aware of the little things that bring some element of happiness and I can be thankful for those times, it lessens the hurt that I experience while going through this dark time. This is no easy task to talk about, or to accomplish.

From past experiences I know that this trial will end and things will eventually get better, but for now I also know there is only one way through- and that is to just keep moving forward everyday- one day at a time with a positive attitude, even when one cannot be found. Father Souza ends his inspirational message with this line: "This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way, so treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one."