Coming from the excitement of the holiday season to everyday routines has it’s ups and downs. On this freezing winter day, I realize I have stepped away from the manic high of the winter parties and celebrations and feel a sense of the mundane … even dare I say, a void. Are these empty feelings more magnified because the December and New Year season is always so hyped up?
In our culture today, inundated by media all around us, we are expected to be and feel ecstatic all the time. Wow! Try this! Be that! Experience this! It’s all so exciting!
It seems that there is no middle road- the quiet and calm feeling post holidays may even feel unnerving. Ironically, the dead of winter is a perfect time to embrace calm and quiet and to seek happiness.
What does real happiness feel like if it does not have the wow factor? Happiness is when you are relaxed, fully engaged and truly enjoying the experience- happiness is like a garden, it grows over time- and if taken care of becomes a well practiced mindful state.
This winter I am opting to do more art- to really create times when I am focused and immersed in what I am doing. Being in the here and now. What are you doing to practice happiness this winter season?