A Habit of Happiness

by Marianne Dubuc

When I was a young child, my grandfather wisely told me that happy people like what is happening in their lives. He explained that the prefix of happy and happening is ‘happ’, and ‘happ’ comes from the word habit. It’s simple: when you like what is happening in your life, you are happy. - Greg Bell

My father devised diversions to keep my mind and body moving. To encourage my curiosity that raced, he offered ways to learn nature's wonders as a habit. When I appeared to need distraction, he directed me to run into the garden and look under rocks. 

He told stories of aunts who loved horticulture and donated their landscape to become a park called Inniswood. https://www.inniswood.org/inniswood-garden-society/. They developed a species of lily.

"All crawling and flying creatures amaze," he'd say and showed me the weaving powers of spiders. "Notice the color changes on flying beetles."

He would follow and ask, "Where do you hear birds sing? What's going on in the fish pond?" I trotted beyond his suggestions and slithered up magnolia and oak trees. Once I fell and brushed my head against the grass. That did not deter my future elevation into higher branches. Those views provided opportunities to explore.

I designed a fort inside a eucalyptus tree. The tree had three lower trunks that created a deep nest in the middle. Discovering ways to repurpose items, I saw potential for a canon in the hollow base of a broken bird bath. Friends and I climbed into the high branches and propelled lemons and oranges to the ground to see if we could amuse a passing dog.

Frustrated with the memorization of French verbs, I scurried to sit beneath olive trees.Taking in the scents and feeling the breeze nurtured my memory's attention. The next day I made 100% on the test.

My father disliked the use of adjectives as descriptions. He encouraged me to observe nature's imagery when frustrated or joyful. "Don't use beautiful," he'd advise. "Look at the sun descend into the sea. Watch the cloud play. That reveals beauty.

Now, during the pandemic, nature nurtures in a variety of ways. I run in early mornings, chasing the sunrise. As I pet petals and branches, my gratitude resounds in every step. I listen to bird song and sing to the breeze.

My gardening moments energize afternoons. I plant seeds with my father's advice enlightening me. He showed me a lemon flower's potential, beyond my sadness that it had fallen to the earth. Soon green lemons would appear.

"Find a micro-moment of happiness. Enjoy flowers or favorite songs. Have chocolate or tea. What matters is your intention to be happy." - Haemin Sunim

Let happiness abound as a habit that shares nature's messages.