Volunteering at the Quarter Horse Show in Queen Creek, Arizona was amazing—my job was to straighten the logs if a horse and rider knocked them askew while competing in the maze (I’m still working on my Giddy Up! video). It was my first taste of the horsey life at a big bustling Horse and Equestrian Park, and I loved it.
But that’s not the direct path to happiness.
Meeting fellow camper van owners at the Lost Dutchman State Park, hearing desert birds chirp and coyotes howl, wandering through centuries-old cacti and palm trees, and laughing with friends around a campfire is uplifting and heartwarming.
But that’s not the direct path to happiness.
Making videos such as today’s The Elvis Chapel at Superstition Mountain: An Amazing Place to Get Married? is one of my favourite things to do. Especially since it combines travel, camper vans, and the joy of surprise discoveries.
And yet even that isn’t the direct path to happiness.
Nothing external can bring lasting joy, peace, love or even contentment. Not even the best and most cherished things in life such as family and friends, good health, beloved animals, pleasurable activities, meaningful experiences or lifelong dreams coming true.
Things—including your most cherished people and relationships—aren’t the direct path to happiness because they change. Everything changes. People leave or die, houses get old, jobs come and go, money gets spent, and sometimes even the most delicious, comforting food loses its appeal.
What is the Direct Path to Happiness?
It’s that deep inner pocket of peace, joy and love that is always within you.
You feel it when you hug someone you love or look into your dog’s eyes. You taste it when you behold a view that catches your breath or hold a sleeping baby. You sense it when you walk on holy ground or feel a loving presence that just isn’t part of this world.
Those wonderful experiences aren’t the source of the joy you feel. Though beautiful, they’re fleeting and unreliable.
They’re the finger pointing to the moon.
How do you get to the moon? I’m still working on that. It’s kinda hard to describe because it’s literally indescribable.
Luckily, it’s also indestructible.
If you’ve found your own direct path to happiness—your flight to the moon!—please email me. I’d love to hear how describe it, how you get there, and if you talk about it with others.
With love from Arizona,
Laurie
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Happiness is an inside-out job!❤️
Hi Laurie 🙂
I too believe in the smaller things in life that I hold on to that makes the day that much better, we just need to believe and be thankful for the help the universe sends our way.
Yes, please do swap me over to your new address for the weekly emails.
I hope you get this message, please let me know.
I have sent you emails in the past which have not been replied to, it puzzles me as to why no reply.
Take good care of yourself and keep believing.
With sun and light we grow and learn.
Thomas (from Australia)
Thomas, I added you to my new email list – thank you! 🙂
I wish I could reply to every message I get, but I just can’t. There’s not enough time in the day, and I don’t have the energy to keep up with everything. I hope you understand.
I really appreciate your thoughtful emails, though. You’re a kind, compassionate soul, and it warms my heart to know people like you exist!
Warmly,
Laurie
I added you to my list – thank you Pam! 🙂
Please continue to send me your news letter.
Thank you