November/December 2001
Articles on the theme "Happiness"
Happiness in Troubled Times
by Charles Larsen
Happiness beore and after the events
of September 11.
Keys to Happiness
by Tracy Woolrich
How to become happy and healthy.
Asking for Happiness
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
Of setting goals, making plans
and dreaming dreams.
An Inside Job
by Nancy L. Buchanan
Happiness, a choice of how and what
we think.
An Elusive Butterfly?
by Ron Graham
How the mind needs to be congruent
with the heart.
The Pursuit of Happiness
by Rev. Susan R. Griffin
Allowing happiness to BE rather than
pursued, sought after or achieved.
Integrity: Path to Happiness
by Constance Felos, Esq.
An attorney's look at a new dispute
resolution model.
Choose Happiness
by Dr. Ruth E. Bradley
What the events of September 11 can
teach us about happiness.
The Freedom To Be Me
by AnneMarie Dyer
Finding happiness by being true to
oneself. Living one's dreams and being in the NOW.
The Source of True Happiness
by Rev. Pat Cross
The deeper meaning of joy and happiness...
our spiritual nature.
Other Feature Articles
Holistic Health Q & A
by Linda Nash Stevenson
Of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine,
stopping smoking, herbs and hot flashes.
What is... Feng Shui?
by Billie V. Odor
The origins of Feng Shui and an account
of how Black Hat Sect Feng Shui is practiced.
UNCOMMON SENSE ! - Terrorism
David Findlay
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Featured stones for November and December:
Bloodstone and Septarian.
Choose Happiness
by Dr. Ruth E. Bradley
It is hard to think about happiness when sadness has been the subject of our lives since September 11.
It has been a hard time for us all. We have experienced the extremes of our emotions and have searched our souls to find the lessons we were meant to learn from this tragic day. It was a day when we saw how quickly and unexpectedly our life could end, and we reflected on what we have accomplished with our lives and what we have not. We know we have come here to experience it all the good, the bad, the happy and the sad, no matter what, no matter how hard or how easy.
On September 11 we were forced to stop and witness a series of tragic events that have forever changed our lives. It was a day we were consumed by the sadness, heartache, and pain of our fellow human beings. We watched as the best and the worst of human nature moved in opposite directions at the very same moment with a surreal synchronicity. Our hearts connected us to the victims and we were moved with an urgent need to try to help. We gave blood and sent money, but most of all we tried to send them hope. It was a day we learned a big lesson about our humanity. We realized that what happens to one of us happens to all of us, and the only divisions between us, are the ones we superficially create. It was a day when we saw that the love we have for each other is really the bond that holds us together. It was a day we shared our deepest feelings about life and love with our family and friends that in the past might have gone unexpressed. It was a day that closed the emotional distance created by our own busy lifestyles. It was the day our emotions were put on high alert, and the worry fear and anxiety we have felt since then, has caused us to feel physically sick, mentally stressed and emotionally exhausted. We are trying to get back to normal, but there is no normal. Our lives have changed forever. It was a day that that helped us see beyond our own lives into the lives of others, and has pulled us together as a family and a nation. It was a day that made us long for the good old days when a simple mantra like "Don't worry be happy" used to fix everything.
On September 11 we were happy to be alive. We were reminded of our own mortality and the limited number of days we have here on the planet earth to make a difference. Since then we have started to re-evaluate our lives. We have wondered why we were not able to be happier when we had everything. We began to reprioritize those things we thought used to make us happy, and those material things that used to be on the top of our list, have now slid to the bottom. Some of the things that were important to us before September 11 are not so important now. We have realized not to make small things into big things. We need not waste our energy on things that won't matter in ten years.
It is time to take charge of our lives and not let any external force direct how we think, feel or act. We have the ultimate power to live any way we choose. This is our moment to create our own destiny. As grandma Julie used to put it "If you don't like the play, get off the stage and write a new one." You are the writer, director, and star in your own play. If you want happiness write it in. Start enjoying your happy times now. Don't wait till you graduate or get married or have children or get divorced, or have more money. Don't wait for other things or other people to make you happy. You are as happy as you choose to be. Make it a conscious choice from the time you get up till you go to bed. Focus on it, be it, live it, and give it away. When we are happy, we contribute to everyone's happiness. It is something we have all wished for each other on special occasions and have searched for in our own lives. That is how important it is to us. It is a positive emotion we need in our lives now, more than ever before. Happiness is a way we can counterattack the sadness of September 11.
So smile, laugh, and do what makes you happy. As Og Mandino said,"Live each day as if it were your last make your last your best and if it's not be grateful for another day of loving." I am. I hope you are too.
Dr. Bradley has practiced chiropractic in St. Petersburg since 1984. She is the clinic director for Millennium Medical, a holistic healthcare facility specializing in the integration of medical and alternative practices. St. Petersburg FL (727) 541-2675.
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