In this talk Rev. Uki explores the nature of happiness. We look at ways we can attain happiness in healthy and productive ways rather than chasing the phantom of imagined joy outside of ourselves.

This talk was presented at Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association on March 18, 2018.

Do spiritual shortcuts exist? If they do, this one must be the number one shortcut: the magical words of “thank you”. All languages, all cultures feature the expression of gratitude to someone, be it a person, circumstance, Nature or God. Is feeling or expressing gratitude a secret to happiness? Research seems to support this connection. But why not do the experiment yourself and find out? What is there to lose?

Towards the end of my day, I always like to look back on the past 24 hours: what did I like about this particular, unique, God-given day of my life? What bugged me?

I honor my energy by evaluating what worked, what did not; what made me feel happy, and what were the things/people/events that made me feel uneasy. Those three hours shopping for yoga clothes drained me much beyond the fun of having found a few comfy and useful clothing items. A call from a friend who prefers to ramble off long list of complaints about the injustices of the world made me feel tired. Taking a walk on the beach with my beloved and playing with the cats increased my happiness index.

We all have a list of "to-do's", and sometimes just getting a chore done feels wonderful; completing a project I've pushed away for some time is immense relief. But when the 'doing' takes over the 'being', I know I am in trouble, because I am not honoring my need for quiet time and quality moments.

Here's a suggestion: I invite you to look at the 'energy zappers' in your life.

Make a list of all the stuff that is generating irritation energy and tackle the list, one at a time. Sometimes even seemingly trivial things, like replacing that burnt-out light bulb in the laundry room, can be draining if they show up on your planned activity lists for too long. When I take just an hour each day to finally sow on that button on a favorite shirt or clean out the 'miscellaneous' kitchen drawer, I feel clearer, lighter. There is more energy available to do the things that matter.

Warning: beware of the need to get 'everything' done on your list all at once! While there are some days that we are happily exhausting ourselves cleaning out the garage and enjoying the results, I find it easier to move little rocks, one at a time. Above all, make time to nurture your Spirit! One hour a day of quiet reading time with an uplifting book, or listening to that wonderful guided meditation journey that you've wanted to explore for weeks, or simply sitting on a big boulder in a nature preserve and taking in the sounds of the birds and the bees with no agenda at all: that is quality time spent 'being', that is what feeds our spirit.

Make a list of your energy zappers, take care of them one at a time, and enjoy the healing energies of being. Emotional balance and improved body-mind health may be your best rewards.