Sweet and Cool

"Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet." Chinese Proverb

"Live lightly on the Earth." Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

The quotes from yesterday and today from my Oriental Wisdom Calendar really resonate with me. Like many my life has had its highs and lows. I have known happiness and sorrow. It is when we experience the bad in life that we come to appreciate the good. I don't think it is possible for life to be just happiness. We would all love to have a life that is pure joy but life isn't like that.

I watch the lives of the rich and famous and have to wonder are they really happy? You read about so many celebrities that use drugs and alcohol in an effort to escape from their lives. They can't be happy. Wealth can buy toys but it can't buy happiness. Happiness comes from within.

Happiness is a contentment with life. It is the emotion that makes you feel that life is worth living. Material possessions can bring a momentary sense of satisfaction but they can't bring about an emotional pleasure. The joy of life is in the living. It is in the pleasure of a child's smile. It is in the hugging of a frail mother. It is in the excitement of using your talent to create. It is in making others happy and bringing joy to your own life as you share that happiness.

One of the major lessons I learned from my marriage is that money can't buy happiness. My ex was always accumulating things. He made a good salary but it all went into buying possessions. He was not a happy man. He never learned how to give what was truly wanted. If you only buy things for others and never give of yourself you aren't truly giving. You are only passing on possessions which will deteriorate in time. If you give of the heart it will last forever.

It is in knowing the bitter in life that you learn to appreciate the good. If you know hurt and pain then when love and happiness come around you are so much more appreciative of it and you strive to keep happiness with you and pass it onto others.

One of the things that I love and gives me joy is the beauty of the world around me. Today is Earth Day and the focus is on this fragile little planet we live on. Earth is going through some traumatic times lately with the weather going crazy. Last season's hurricanes may be repeated again this year. South Dakota got five feet of snow dumped on it the other day. The tornados have already started and cost lives and property. Mother Nature is not a happy camper.

This is the only home we have and today you will find stories on how you can help maintain this fragile little ball of clay that we live on. With gas prices at an exorbitant high we are forced to see if there are ways that we can use alternate transportation. We need to conserve energy if we are to continue to afford to live in our homes. Today is a good day to find out how to appease Mother Nature by taking better care of her home.

The picture is called "Guardian of the Mountains."