Pharrell Williams, composer of the infectious 2014 hit Happy, has said this about happiness: “It’s not possible to experience constant euphoria, but if you’re grateful, you can find happiness in everything.”“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof/
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.” –Pharrell Williams, Happy
WOW, if you are grateful, you can find happiness in everything! That link between\
gratitude and happiness was shown to me many years ago when I attended a hot Pilates class in Wantagh. Never tried it? You should. The woman who led the class and owned the studio was Beth King, and while I didn’t know her well, she had an impact on my life. She used to end every class with savasana (rest), and before we got up she would guide us through a brief meditation, asking us to think about three things we were grateful for. After spending time reflecting about what we were thankful for, we couldn’t help but leave the studio filled with happiness. I was surprised and saddened when I later learned that Beth was battling breast cancer. With all that she must have been going through, here she was leading an amazing, inspiring class with a big, bright smile and an incredible energy and reminding us to focus on our own blessings, leaving us no other choice than to walk out of that studio … HAPPY!
Given the Happiness theme of this month’s issue, I found myself asking, “What percentage of my day is truly spent feeling happy?” I would love to say 100 percent, but that is far from true. (Hell, I would love to say 10 percent, but, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s true either!) On any given day, I feel many emotions: stress (balancing work, kids and married life); anger (if something goes wrong); anxiety and fear (over new challenges that I or my children face); overwhelmed (by my life roles); and when my day has come to an end, most often I feel, well, exhausted. I am sure I am not alone in this. I am sure you, too, feel overcome with daily stress, fatigue and anger (if you travel the Long Island Expressway at 5 p.m., Lord knows you feel angry!). So, with only so many hours in the day and so many emotions filling these hours, we have left little to no room for happiness!
This issue is filled with articles to help you make room for happiness, starting with the easy suggestion in this publisher’s letter. I implore you to use the method that I learned so many years back from an amazing Pilates teacher and woman. Don’t wait until someone reminds you to be grateful (which Beth did for us at the end of each class). Instead, before you leave your home for the day, or at the end of your yoga class, or when you leave your office, or even right after someone cuts you off on the road this summer, stop and think of three things you are grateful for—your health, your family, nature, etc. I promise you, when you allow yourself that space for gratitude, you will feel happy.
So, “clap along”… because believe me (and Pharrell) when I tell you, “Happiness is the truth,” and if you are grateful, you will find happiness in everything!
Malama Pono!
Kelly Martinsen, Publisher
