“A poem is the very image of life expressed in its eternal truth.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley

Friday, August 2, 2013

The Happiness Formula


On my mind has been
what accounts for happiness,
how one can find it.

On my better days,
love and value are affirmed
through loved ones and work.

Researchers assert
service and compassion bring
happiness as well.

5 comments:

Travelogue for the Universe said...

It is complicated! Different for everyone.Have a great weekend! Mary

Muffie said...

I truly believe that we're happier (and more at peace) when we give of ourselves. Since I can no longer physically help others, I try to be a good listener, or just a presence when needed. It takes me away from my own self-pity, and it brings me joy.
Peace,
Muff

Gail said...

HI JUDY - your giving of self through your poems inspires me and gives me hope, "thank you"...
Love Gail
peace.....

Karen said...

I don't know if one can find happiness. I think being happy has to come from within. I thing we can look for things to bring us joy, but if one is an unhappy person to start with, that joy will be difficult to find. Being happy and finding happiness are in my mind, two different things.

Judy said...

I wrote this poem after viewing a documentary called Happy (available on Netflix). It researched communities all over the world and discovered that the existence of family and friends, as well as the practices of compassion and service are noteworthy in people who are happy.

Mary, yes, it can be different for everyone.

Muff, I do aim to be of service because some of my most satisfying moments have come from when I have given of myself.

Gail, thanks for thinking of my poems that way. It leaves me in awe that something I started to provide self expression has turned into something greater.

Karen, you and Mary seem to be in agreement that this is a complicated subject and that it is different depending on the individual makeup of the person.