“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in Harmony" Mahatma Gandhi
Happiness is defined in the dictionary as “the quality or state of being happy. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.” I do not find that most people talk about happiness; they are either happy or not. Some moments in life can be described as peaceful, content, and happy. But the moments of the dictionary’s description happen for me not when I am in my car running around the lake snapping a picture but when I am out of my car, walking in the cold, the snow, by the shores of Lake Superior capturing, seeing the universe unfold and living the experience, the picture.
Over the past three years, I’ve encountered people like me who are bundled up in the winter, walking the roads, the beaches, and the rocks day after day. They often share the heaviness in their heart and the pain in their soul. We stand there in the great outdoors, looking at the sky and its light unfolding, and seek the solace and peace that can only come from embracing a few moments early in the morning as dawn fades and the sun slowly rises to greet the day. Those moments, those few precious minutes as darkness fades and daylight awakes, you can feel the presence, the peace, and happiness.
When a person does this every day, it changes her. Three years of morning dawn and sunrise have profoundly changed me, my life, and my worldview. My dog and I walk daily no matter the weather: rain, sleet, snow, wind, storms, and warm days. Sometimes I hear the universe saying, breathe and wait for perfection.