Through the Window

Have you noticed that sometimes a bee, a fly or even a butterfly will get fixated with a window and with all its might try to buzz into the house.  It will spend all its energy in this fruitless pursuit.  This puzzles me, for what can be so interesting inside that the beauty of the garden does not offer it?  What scent lures it there?
It reminds me of myself, in fact of many people I know.  We get caught up in the idea that life is better elsewhere.  We dream of a better life " if only ".  We are sure that happiness is just on the other side, all I have to do is to somehow get THERE.
Just like that insect, we will butt our heads to try to find a way, we focus all of our energy on that elusive goal.  We become obsessed by it, nothing else matters anymore, everything fades in comparison with that one thing we see through the window.  We turn our backs to the beauty that surrounds us, we ignore the joy of the present, we become oblivious to what we have now.
There is nothing wrong with dreaming, in fact it is a necessity of life to have dreams.  There is also nothing wrong with striving for something better, but when my dream, my goal becomes an obsession to the exclusion of all else, it is then that the balance is disturbed and I find myself on dangerous ground.  Then it is time to turn back to the garden, to once again notice all the beauty that surrounds me and to give thanks for the blessings I already have.
In our struggle to reach the other side we often forget the wonder of the here and now and we take our blessings for granted.  Our whole being is so focused on obtaining that "better" thing, that " happier" state of being, that we loose our grip on the reality of now.  It is then that once we reach that goal, we realise with a shock what we have sacrificed for it, what we have lost in the process, and the price we have paid for it leaves a bitter sadness in the pit of our stomachs.  Then we are trapped in a room so much smaller than what we've hoped for and we realise that the beautiful garden we thought we saw through the window was but a reflection of the reality.
Happiness lies not in attaining some or other goal, or reaching a destination, or having a change in circumstances.  True happiness is found in being content with what you have, where you are right now.  Edith Wharton said: "If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time"!

If you flutter by here please share with me what makes you the happiest right now.  To comment click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.