Holding On To Happiness
Happiness is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a state of well-being and contentment.” When I started this blog I was thinking a lot about how we find happiness and the quote from Northanger Abbey that I took my blog name from resonated with me: “It is well to have as many holds upon happiness as possible.” In the current world we live in we need to hold onto happiness with both hands. We are surrounded by stresses and strains and sorrows that many of us couldn’t have even imagined a year ago. To me, a hold upon happiness is different than overflowing happiness. When the phrase occurs in Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland is admiring a hyacinth and Henry Tilney speaks the line I have already quoted. It is a little thing she is enjoying. It is something she notices and finds pleasure in. Henry Tilney is telling her that it can help her stay balanced when life around her is difficult.
We all have holds upon happiness. They are the things that we do when we are feeling low. Without them this year would have beaten us down even more than it already has. The other day I pulled out a notebook that I bought a while ago. It only has one page filled but that page contains a list of my holds upon happiness. I am sharing them here for anyone who needs a reminder of things that bring joy. Not all of them are things we can do now but they are all out there waiting for us.
- A new notebook and pen
- A cup of tea perfectly made
- A hug from your best-loved person
- Flipping through old photographs of happy memories
- Music that transports you
- The sound of the water; the ocean, a stream in the woods
- Reading just the right book at just the right time
- Wandering through a second-hand bookstore
- Wandering through a city first thing in the morning on the first day of your vacation
- When you write and the words flow
- The pleasure of giving someone the small thing that thrills them
- Aromas; the beach, fall leaves, gingerbread fresh out of the oven
- Having a conversation with someone and knowing they understand you
- The little beauties in nature; the pretty leaf, shiny rock, small flower that can be easily overlooked
- A photograph that comes out just the way you envisioned
- Plans–the good kind you can look forward to
- The sound of red-winged blackbirds singing in a meadow on a summer’s day
- A fried seafood dinner eaten outside at a clam shack by the beach
- Walking on the beach at dusk with the sand cold between your toes and a sweatshirt suddenly necessary
- A campfire, s’mores, and your favorite people
Jane Austen knew what she was talking about. Just reading this list over makes me feel a little bit better about life. I hope all of you are holding on to your happiness too.
12 Comments
Bronwen Jamison
Oh this is the perfect list! Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas and all the very best in the new year.
Bronwen
jllee656
Thank you! I hope next year is a better year for everyone.
Katrina
That is a great list and I so agree. Are the books in your photo yours, or in a bookshop?
jllee656
I wish they were mine! They are in a bookshop when I was on a trip to the U.K. I can’t remember which trip without checking. Either London last winter or Scotland.
Nicola
Lovely post. I am always quoting Austen and she seems to have wise words for every event. I think there is one that is something like ‘any activity, even melancholy, will dispel melancholy’ from Persuasion.
jllee656
Austen does have the answer to everything!
Tanja/The Red Phone Box travels
beautiful list! hope you had a lovely Christmas with your family
jllee656
Thank you. I hope 2021 is a better year for all of us!
Brona
What a lovely piece.
Always good to be reminded of how we can find happiness in the smaller things in life. And I didn’t know your blog name came from JA. I love it even more now 😊
jllee656
I find it all too easy to be sidetracked by the stresses of life so sometimes making lists like this helps. When I first made my blog the only thing I knew for sure was that I would talk about books and my blog name had to somehow come from Jane Austen!
Hamlette (Rachel)
Yes, yes, yes! The small, everyday blessings are what hold happiness that doesn’t just burst and fade. I love many of the things you list here, small, ordinary parts of life that can be meaningful and important.
jllee656
I like the way you phrased that–“small everyday blessings are what hold happiness that doesn’t burst and fade.”