Being Happy

There are rare moments in life when you notice how completely and utterly happy you are. I think we live life at such a pace these days that we don't really bother to notice the truly good things in our lives, because we're just going through the motions. We're so much more likely to talk to someone about the bad things (which makes sense - venting is healthy), rather than take time out to appreciate good moments.

I don't think I ever mentioned this in my Australia vlogs or blog posts, but I decided to dedicate an entire post to it, because I think it might be one of the most significant moments of my life (dramatic, yes?!). I read the above quote recently, which really got me thinking about how important it is to embrace the good. I've heard so much sad news lately, both in my own little bubble of life and in the news, that this quote totally struck a chord.

The night I flew from Cairns to Melbourne came after a bit of a blur of a day. I'd got packed up and organised in the morning and Lynsey and her boyfriend had driven me from Port Douglas down to Cairns airport. The week had been amazing - catching up with one of your closest friends in what is essentially paradise is a pretty big deal. The drive was over an hour and then I had a bit of a wait at the airport, but finally I was on the plane. My flight was only three hours and I settled down to read my book and relax.

As the plane started to descend into Melbourne Tullamarine airport, the sun was streaming in through my window and I got hit with this huge wave of total contentment. It was the most bizarre thing, and it feels weird even typing this, but it's true. I was, for the first time, heading to a city to explore on my own for a few days, at the opposite side of the world from my loved ones, and part of me was completely terrified. I felt completely and utterly in the moment, which I think we rarely actually manage to achieve - we are (or I certainly am) always so fixated on the future, whether it's the immediate future of "am I organised for work/uni/school/my errands tomorrow", or the distant future of "ahh what if I never get a good job/fall in love/have a family/have money to buy a house etc etc". I actually noticed how happy and excited I was, and how proud I was of myself for jumping in and doing something that frightened me, and the thrill of being able to go home and tell all of my friends and family all about it. It's a moment I revisit in my head on a fairly regular basis because it stuck with me.

These moments don't come along all that often - those really significant ones. But happy moments with friends and family or doing the things you love do, if you make time for them. So my plan, from here on out, is to do just that. To stop panicking that I spent a fortune over the weekend and focus on what a brilliant time I had. Or notice the ridiculous laughs I have with my friends over private jokes and reminiscing about the past. Just pushing myself to be aware of the happy moments in every day, because they're there. No matter how rubbish things around you might seem, there are always little moments of hope and joy to be found in the things and the people you love.

Soppy nonsense over for now.

Thank you for reading! And if you're as obsessed with quotes as I am, pop over and check out my Quotes for 2014 Pinterest board - I'm updating it every day at the moment!