I searched for “cat hammock” on the Martha Stewart website after finding a link to exactly what I was looking to purchase, but the only entry that returned was “The Secret to Happiness.” So I figured this was more than a golden invitation to the secret. How often does the universe present us with an opportunity to learn the secret of happiness, in a short and succinct paragraph just in time for me to share? But I was surprised with what I read. It said:
What do we talk about when we talk about happiness? We tend to think of joy only in the past or future, a thing to be recalled or sought after. But what if it were always an option — even now, in this very moment? And the next one? And the next? As the implacable optimist Susan B. Anthony wrote, “The important moments are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations. The real milestones are less prepossessing.” We know, then, that the real secret to happiness is that there is no secret.
What surprised me most about the Secret to Happiness as outlined above is that everyone apparently thinks of joy as something they either experienced in the past or will experience in the future, but not me. I understand and experience joy throughout my days. My animals taught me how to be in the moment long, long ago. They don’t think about what we’re doing later today or next week, but they take great joy in batting that piece of dog food around the floor or chasing each other through the house in a game that I don’t fully understand but must have very specific rules from what I’ve been able to glean. I watched Jack touch his paw to Zoeybean’s paw, just for a second in the most intimate touch with a slight “mrrrr” sound in his voice just like an intimate interaction Tim and I would have during the day. By paying attention to them I’ve learned to live in the moment because in their life there is nothing but this moment, and I am a better person for it. They’ve taught me when someone is crabby a little touch with a smile can lighten anyone’s day, and pretty soon whatever made your day turn sour is gone and you’re back to playing the games that I can’t quite get the rules down for, just like there was never tension to begin with. It all comes from living in the moment with joy in your heart. If you don’t know how it’s done all you need are some companion animals from your local shelter to show you the way. They’ll have you forgetting your problems in no time. And never forget, it’s only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one. And that’s where the secret to happiness lies.
