My Bucket Does Not Need Emptying.

 

The Warrior Prepares

I am sure that I have spoken in the past about the bucket of emotions.  I will therefore not labour this tale today just refresh my memory and maybe the memory of others.

I see my life a bit like an emotional bucket, when things are going well it overflows with joy and happiness and this overflow can so easily brighten up the lives of those around. Sadly there are so many people who carry with them the nails of despair. These a re the people who are always ready to create a leak in our buckets and bring us to a state of unhappiness and in some cases even worse, total despair.

Often those people are not aware that they are doing it, other times they know for sure that they are. The people who are always quick to point out when you have made a mistake, even though it was obvious and knew you had made the mistake.

Artists face it all the time. There are always those who are quick to point out small things in a painting they do not like. The painting may well have a million things right but it is the one small thing that is wrong that is pointed out.

More of this on my other blog.

My own bucket has been very empty these last few weeks. It has been leaking badly and I have in the process been difficult to live with I am sure. Slowly it is beginning to fill, as I find ways of trying to bring joy to those around me. I am carrying with my repair patches so that when someone brings along a nail of despair I will quickly patch it over and try to give them happiness in return.

This blog is linked to my other. The Warrior Prepares

Being Aware of What We Have.

Love On the Rocks

How easy it is to get complacent about life and the good things that we have.  Yesterday I went to visit the home of a man who has asked me to do a painting for one of the walls in his new house. He has just moved into a little flat in the village. Slowly but surely he is getting it just the way he wants it.

I keep promising myself that I will take no more commissions for art. They certainly put a lot of extra pressure on the artist to produce. When I saw the pride my friend had in his little flat and the excitement of having a painting that he had some input made it impossible for me not to say that I would give it a try. I now know that he will ask me every time he sees me when it will be done. I did say to him, “everything in it time.” I would have been just as well talking to the carpet on the floor.

As I left and walked down to meet my old friend Archie for what we call here is Scotland, “a wee blether.” I was reminded of the story of the man who went to the Taoist calligraphy writer with his request.

He went to the man and asked him to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation.

On his return he obtained a large sheet of paper on which was written:

“Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.”

The man became angry. “I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke as this?”

“No joke is intended,” explained the wise man. “If before you yourself die you son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity.”

Rejoice in the things we have and the natural order of life as it moves from day to day. Let the unexpected be a joy to you. 

The artwork above is mentioned on my other blog: Love On The Rocks

Dance Like There is No Tomorrow.

I was thinking about the number of people I know who are busy in the queue waiting. No they are not waiting for a train or a bus they are waiting for things to change. if we are all honest we have all stood in that self same queue at one time or another.


We convince ourselves that life will be better after we have left school and university, or it will be better once we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we're frustrated that the children are not old enough and we'll be more content when they are. Later, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We'll certainly be happy when they're out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, or we get into the house we have dreamed about, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Too late to be happy yesterday and tomorrow well not a lot we can do about that until it comes.

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

One of my favourite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, and they were prepared to share it with you, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go to university, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until autumn, until winter, until the first or fifteenth, until YOUR song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you're born again, until whatever excuse you can think of to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

How many times as an artist I have waited till I got the correct colour the correct canvas. The number of times I have waited for the right moment or the right feeling. As I have said so many times on this blog the time for waiting is over.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Oh and just to get you started the lady waiting for the bus. Let me tell you about her. She was wanting to go to visit a special art gallery. She asked a policeman how to get there. he told her to wait at the bus stop and catch the 46. Two hours later he passed again she was still there. He asked her why she was not at her gallery. She told him not to worry she would get there soon the 42nd bus had just passed so only four to go.

Happiness is a journey not a destination or waiting for it to arrive.

This is the way of the Tao.



This blog is linked to my Other.  Home From The Sea

The Search for Happiness

There was a man who decided that life was not as it should be for him. In fact, truth to tell it was not good at all. He decided that his life was empty and shallow. He was surrounded by people who really did not care for him at all. He decided that he needed to find happiness. He had been told that if he really wanted happiness he had to find chi in his life. He decided that no matter how long this took he would not settle until he had found happiness, chi.


It seemed that the obvious place to beginning looking was in the temples and places of worship. At each place he stopped he was told that if he really wants to find this chi then he would have to travel to a temple further away in another place. He did just this, each time making the journey to a further place. After visiting more than one hundred such places he felt that he was not further forward in his search for happiness, for the chi, it was suggested that maybe he was searching in the wrong places. That rather than places of worship and temples he should go to the shrines and the places where in historical time’s great things and events had occurred. Once again he undertook many years of search and pilgrimage. The desire within him to find happiness was still very strong. Again after many years of such a pilgrimage he had not found what he was looking for.

It was suggested to him that what he was looking for would only be found in the mountains where there lived wise hermits. So he set off climbing many high mountains and speaking with many mountain hermits. Finally, with his hair gray with age he was told of an old hermit that lived in an isolated high mountain cave. He began the torturous climb with a determination. Finally he arrived where he found an old man, a solitary ascetic. He told the man of his goal and his search. The old man gave a wry chuckle. “If you want to find the chi and happiness,” he said “sit down and close your eyes.” He took hold of his hands and said again, “Chi is here within your grasp, it is within every being.

As the artist searches for the best painting, the best sculpture, the best piece of art. The search must begin within the artist. Others may be able to help bring it out to give tips and hints. But the search for happiness in the creative process begins in each artist own hands.

Happiness and a Smile

There is no doubt the death of a friend makes you stop and become aware of your vulnerability. So a little light heartedness today. There has to be a little button I can push to make me happy in the age of instant everything. We are all searching for happiness and in this age we want it now. Not tomorrow or the next day but now. “If I could be rich I would be happy.” We hear this all the time, all I need is to win the lottery. Yet the stories of just such winners ending up in more misery and despair are countless. All I need to be happy is a good husband/wife. Sadly if the other person does not measure up instantly to ones expectations we move on to something or someone else. The number of broken marriages increases daily, and with it the number of children with a sense of question about where their loyalty lies. If I could just get that or this I would be happy.Maybe if I moved to another place. When we get it we are happy but sadly so often it is a transitory happiness.


We live in an age with few boundaries and so the excesses increase and with it the unhappiness. It is a strange world we live in when so many people struggle to get enough to eat but just as many people die from the illnesses caused by over indulgence.

Real happiness cannot be purchased or given to us. Others can share it or enhance it but they do not have the power to make us happy. Real happiness comes from within. In 500 BC it was said to be happy we have to control our desire. How I wish the person who said that would come back and say it again and we stopped and listened.

Gosh this is sounding heavy and I set out to be light and joyful. I was thinking today to leave my thoughts with a chuckle. So let me tell you a story. Now before I do it can be told in many ways it is not intended to be sexist with a little thought it could be turned round so the other side is the butt f the humour.

A married couple were feeling the pinch of the credit crunch and had decided to try and save some money on the weekly shop. As they went down one of the lanes the man lifted a pack of twenty four cans of lager and placed them in the trolley. “What do you think you are doing asked the wife?” “They are only £10 for the twenty-four.” he replied. “Get them back on the shelf,” he was told in no uncertain manner. A couple of lanes later the wife lifted a jar of very expensive face cream costing £24. “What do you think you are doing asked the husband?” “Well it makes my face look beautiful,” said the wife. “So does twenty-four cans of lager,” said the husband. “And at half the price.”

Yes I am sorry it is the wife that is the butt of it but I am sure you can change it round very easily. If you had a little laugh then remember it came from within and your life can be full of happiness from within.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be".