Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A Journey to Happiness – Matthieu Ricard
A friend posted a picture of him on Facebook with the comment “I would like to be like him”. It generated the most varied replies from her fellow ‘Facebookians’: Do you want to be bald ? Do you want to be old ? Do you want to be a monk ? It was so funny that I decided to research who in the world was this guy that generated that many comments.
According to Wikipedia, it turns out he is a French scientist who, after finishing his Ph.D. decided to become a Tibetan monk, moved to the Himalayas, studied the Tibetan Buddhism tradition and has devoted his live to spread what he has learned and seen through sharing wonderful photographs in books and magazines.
Recently he volunteered for a study on happiness and his results were completely out of chart. It has earned him the nickname of “ Happiest person in the world”.
It left me thinking. What does it take to feel happy or to be happy ? Can happiness really be measured ? Do you have to take a leap of faith and leave the outside world to really achieve it ?
To me, happiness is an everyday journey, composed of small moments that, when you take the time to be in the now and enjoy them give you a sense of completion. Maybe those moments do not last that long, but when you add up a lot of those tiny bits of happiness everyday you sense what it means to have a complete life.
An now I wonder how much would I measure on that happiness test Mr. Ricard took…..
To learn more about Mr. Matthieu Ricard you can click on this link Matthieu Ricard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Labels:
happiness,
life choices,
Matthew Ricard,
Matthieu Ricard
Friday, October 02, 2009
A family choice
It is the first day after the big decision. You and your husband did the math and the numbers said that after taxes and expenses it was not worth it to pay other people to take care of your children while you go out to work. Money will be a little tight, but the children will enjoy your nurturing presence, and your husband can save money too, as you can pack a lunch bag for him, or better, he can come home for lunch and see you and the kids! His office is close enough! What a life! Or is it?
He leaves, you stay. No more second cup of coffee at your desk, no more manicure every Thursday, no more ‘my secret expenses’ budget allocation, no more ME, only THE MOM OF. Wasn’t it what you longed for when you were at your desk after leaving your baby at daycare? Going to the supermarket at midmorning, taking your baby to the doctor when there was not that many people, staying with your child when he is sick , making the baby his own vegetable soup and pureed fruit, playing and taking him to the park, going to visit your now fellow stay-at-home-mom friends ?
Being a stay at home parent is a choice, sometimes meditated and planned as a family, sometimes forced by circumstances. As all changes and challenges in life, staying at home with your children can be threatening and worrisome, but also is a unique opportunity to experience firsthand all your their development milestones, to be there when they need you must and to learn to live again by watching and sharing with them when they discover a world that has always been there for you but for them is totally new.
He leaves, you stay. No more second cup of coffee at your desk, no more manicure every Thursday, no more ‘my secret expenses’ budget allocation, no more ME, only THE MOM OF. Wasn’t it what you longed for when you were at your desk after leaving your baby at daycare? Going to the supermarket at midmorning, taking your baby to the doctor when there was not that many people, staying with your child when he is sick , making the baby his own vegetable soup and pureed fruit, playing and taking him to the park, going to visit your now fellow stay-at-home-mom friends ?
Being a stay at home parent is a choice, sometimes meditated and planned as a family, sometimes forced by circumstances. As all changes and challenges in life, staying at home with your children can be threatening and worrisome, but also is a unique opportunity to experience firsthand all your their development milestones, to be there when they need you must and to learn to live again by watching and sharing with them when they discover a world that has always been there for you but for them is totally new.
Labels:
family,
learning to live,
life choices,
parenting,
SAHM,
stay at home moms
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