Happy To The End
by Nora Spurgin
Recently I was going through my filing cabinet, purging it of things that were no longer relevant. I also found many “goodies” that I had forgotten about. As a high school principal, I had files of stories, self-help articles, inspirational tidbits, and advice and quotations that I used for morning meetings, speeches, and sermons.
Among those files was one on “happiness.” I was drawn to an article from Retirement Weekly, a financial newsletter. The article was titled “How to Write a Happy Ending to Life.” There were other bits of advice in the file like a list entitled “Stay Passionate about Life.” As I read through those files, I was inspired to share some thoughts with you, my golden friends.
The above-mentioned newsletter article on happy endings, written by Chris Pummer, listed the following seven recommendations that he had gathered from several noted experts whom he had asked how we can pass from this world to a state of contentment and happiness.
1.Rekindle relationships – Fostering closer, more intimate relationships with family members and old friends can be a valuable source of happiness late in life.
2. Accept your loved ones’ idiosyncrasies – Making peace with the person with whom you’ve shared a lifetime can bring greater happiness to an older couple.
3. Keeping physically active, including engaging in group exercise, to helps maintain both physical conditions and social connections. You draw energy from the activity and are less susceptible to depression.
4. Avoid being idle -- Work at something that brings you pleasure or meaning.
5. Fulfill your dreams – Pursuing some of those long-time aspirations can elevate your spirit. You are more likely to regret the thing you did not do than the things you did not have.
6. Perform acts of kindness – You have more time now. Being thoughtful toward others, thanking them, expressing gratitude, reaching out, volunteering your help – these things bring joy to your heart, as well as to those you’ve helped.
7. Be inclined to forgive – Discord produced by bad relationships can haunt your final years. It’s worth the extra effort to forgive and take care of unfinished business.
Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, says, “People overestimate the satisfaction they’ll get from revenge. Forgiveness is the better way to go.”
Fred Luken, author of Forgive for Love, says, “The most important thing is to make peace with your life and with the people in it. In the end, just make sure everyone who was important to you knows it.”
Here are some points for staying passionate about life:
1. Develop a habit of smiling on purpose. Have a grateful attitude. Recognize this day as a gift.
2. Exercise faith in a positive direction. Plan to live a long, healthy, and prosperous life. Take action for a life filled with healthy activities.
3. Expect good things to happen: Pursue a new goal.
4. Look for a way to improve your life. Actively pursue a deeper relationship with God.
5. Choose to live each day passionately as a positive reflection of God.
Many self-help promotions emphasize the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. Nathaniel Lambert, a social scientist at Brigham Young University, says, “We naturally have a scarcity mentality. When we write a gratitude journal or express gratitude, then we transform our perception of reality from one of scarcity to one of abundance.”
Certainly, expressing gratitude helps to fight depression, enhance a sense of well-being, and change our perception of the people around us. All of this is a boost to our spirit and health.
Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, said, “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” He also said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.”
As I read through the articles and quotes, I was inspired to pay more attention to my own life and the need for mindfulness in living well. We can make a conscious effort to surround ourselves with the positive energy created by loving relationships, good music, beautiful colors, reading good books, watching inspiring movies, enjoying healthy meals, laughing often, replacing frowns with smiles, and singing and praising God in all that we do.
The opposite is also true. Thinking negative thoughts, expecting the worst to happen will surround you with negative energy, leading to illness, depression and feelings of need.
Look at the clouds, watch a beautiful sunset, read poetry while sitting outside in the sunshine. Walk in nature. Enjoy a bouquet of flowers.
Tell yourself you are blessed. We need to remind ourselves that we can bring happiness everywhere we go and it will return to us many times over. Happiness is a choice. Happy living to all!