So where do you find it? Is there something that gives you happiness or do you find it elsewhere?

I'm just curous as what makes people happy.

Went to church this morning with my wife of 41 years, sat holding my 5 mo. only grandson, ate Sunday dinner with longtime friends and my kids, talked with one of my former students who is going turkey hunting with me, looked at some old pictures with my wife of friends that have passed on, and I'm now in my reloading room loading up some .38s for a mod 14 S@W that'll stackem up.

Happiness is what and who and is everwhere if you look for it..

Huntin' n' screwin', eatin' n' drinkin', younger women, older whiskey, guns, knives, campin', hikin', fishin', shootin', ridin' my motorcycles...good stuff like that!

BINGO! The first post gets it right.

Happiness is not what you have, not where you work, not who you know, not what you eat, nor how many millions in your 401K. There are thousands out there who have all those things and cannot find happiness. Happiness is in your mind. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable. It's up to you. I choose to be happy.

Just feeling good, seeing the people that are important to me be happy, living in the present and recalling good times from the past, basically living a simple life do it for me.

Thanks Scott for adding that to mine.

Yall have a happy day..

+1

happiest moment for me is blowing the air horn for a kid in a car.Of course helps if parents know it's coming

that for me is the most pure happiness.Putting a smile on a youngster's face with some something as simple as acknowledging them with sounding the air horn on the truck

You two have nailed it. It is your choice and I choose to find my joy not my misery.

You too.

Happiness for me is nothing more than a great day with the family. My needs are very simple.

To put it to more material terms, when my daughter is pitching, and has it on cruise control, just plain fun to watch.

When my son is at the range with me shooting his beloved AK, to me that's fun.

When my wife is smiling, and we are together for some quality time, that's fun.

As I said, my needs are very simple. All else is just "stuff."

I have a daughter who is constantly chasing happiness. As long as she is playing, laughing, and partying, she is too busy and distracted to think about the fact that she is not happy.

As soon as the fun stops, she becomes very depressed, but refuses medical attention for depression.

She is one of many who makes that mistake the happiness can be given to you by another.

I find happiness within myself and by sharing life with my wife, kids and grand kids.

Sometimes just a little solitude provides much comfort and well being.

Especially when found in nature as along the shores of some hidden bay in a peaceful small Western Minnesota lake ~ ~ ~ ~

Amen to the solitude. I've got a private place that I go to think and pray sometimes that my wife doesn't even know about. Been my spot for 50years.

If the guys and gals that post here will really think about this it'll be a long thread..

From a serious standpoint, it comes from those within our closest circle. Nothing to do with wealth or image.

Loosely, the Limeys sang about it decades ago:

"Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is! Bang Bang shoot shoot....."

Amen!

I was making that mistake for sure, until a certain someone pointed it out to me, and now I know the difference. I have spent a lot of time since Thanksgiving/Christmas finding happiness within myself, and learning not to worry about things I can not control. I am not completely changed or running around deliriously happy all the time, but I am far more at peace with myself and my life. I know complete change is not an overnight thing, but rather something that comes with time

Lynn

I wrote a short story about solitude several years ago. It is a fiction but relates to my inner workings.

I love my wife and our time together is refreshing and renewing to me like almost nothing else. But once in a while I need a little solitude.

I must say that I am happy by what I read.

Some define happiness as money, possesions or such.

Family ,friends and contentment are indeed big factors.

I realized today the most happiness I find is in serving Jesus. I am not perfect by any means but strive day by day.

Still serving Him and spending time in fellowship brings me the most happiness.

May God enrich your days and bless you all. Seeing such fine people here, with all the chaos in the world, gives me hope for the future.

A comfortable bed with flannel sheets on a cold night in a completely dark room.

I doesn't have to be dark but you got the flannel sheets part right. I like mine to include that warm lump in the covers I been sleeping wit for almost 32 years. Best snuggling covers lump I can imagine.

Song I remember from church long time ago says

"happiness is to know the Savior, living a life within His favor."

I agree.

I find happiness wherever I can get it.... Anything from a Mockingbird chasing a bug to kids being knuckleheads... My kids. I do know that a good watch makes me happy. A cold beer after I finish mowing the lawn. Watching someone shoot for the first time is a real upper. Pics of a bloody knife. How can you beat a four hour nap? Hunting quail behind a good dog. How I feel after I pray. A woman walking away that's confident about how her butt looks. Well prepared food. Leaving work after an honest days work(and a little overtime). Raw oysters....

I think you have it pegged Bart. I sure cannot find a thing wrong with your list.

My Happiness resides here :



I never trusted my happiness to any other humans in my life .I have always allowed people to add to my life , but allowed no one to take away from my life .

These two changed all that !They are perfectly selfish - just as God intends them to be .

I've got some rifles and stuff that are just about perfect as far as I'm concerned , but nothing compares to Punkin and Shotgun .

I had a little blond headed Punkin once. She is is 44 now. Not so little any more. My how the time flies.

Served communion with FVA today while his wife played piano and mine sang a duet. After church went to a local steak house and met my parents to celebrate my Mom's 75th birthday. My oldest daughter and her husband and my 10 month old grandson joined us, then off to our house to have homemade ice cream cake. My grandson pulled himself up to his feet for the first time while his great grandfather was feeding him ice cream. Watching this with my healthy active parents, my happily married daughter, the two kids I still have at home and a beautiful wife who treats me like I hung the moon. I had a good day. It would have been perfect if my son and daughter in law were here but life took them to Arizona. Still in all, life is good.

I find happiness in the milestones my grandkids reach. Today the littlest one figured out how to crawl. I am lucky enough to have 10 with twin boys due in a few months. The oldest will be 16 in two weeks. I get to see lots of milestones.

This thread calls to mind a nice E-mail that came in from an old Compadre, a few days ago,....seems to be typical of my call out.

GTC

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8
Feet and Is entirely open at the top, the
Bird, in spite of its Ability to fly, will
Be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
That a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground
With a Run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space
To run, as is its habit, It will not even
Attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
For life in a small jail with no top.

**************************
THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a
Remarkable nimble creature in the air,
Cannot take off from a level place.
If it is placed on the floor or flat
Ground, all it can do is shuffle about
Helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it
Reaches some slight elevation from which it can
Throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it
Takes off like a flash.

************************
THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will
Be there until it dies, unless it is taken out.
It never sees the means of escape at the
Top, but persists in trying to find some way out
Through the sides near the bottom.. It
Will seek a way where none exists, until it
Completely destroys itself..

**************************************
PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and
The bumblebee. We struggle about with all our
Problems and frustrations, never realizing that
All we have to do is look up! That's the
Answer, the escape route and the solution to any
Problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and

Trust in our Creator who loves us.

That one is now saved on my computer. Thanks

Happiness is eating and keeping down my first food in five days. Crackers and hot tea are my friend

Normally that would not sound good. I guess that means happiness is all a matter of perspective.

Exactly !

Put on a "Buffalo League" shoot this AM,.....came home and pigged out on some FINE crock pot stew,.....had a nap, and went over to a neighbors to look at their distressed Troy-Bilt "Econo Horse" ...
We were plotting this years crop stunts, and head scratching as to whether the thing's wort repairing (again)

Tomorrow I buy 330' of HIGH Ranch wire,.....and complete the outer perimeter stock fence.........alla' the 16' X 56" "Stock Panels" that were bought YEARS ago at $ 16.50 per (at a a time when I was REALLY broke) will then be used for internal "Cross fencing",......after I pop some air photos (any excuse to go flying, ...what ?

Life is good,....and life DOES go on !

GTC

Grabbed a picture from Google Earth. Our place.

A closer look. The house to the right is the neighbors. The bigger house is the daughters house. Our cottage is behind the daughters house in the woods. It is hard to see from this view. Greenhouse is the long silver looking thing. The big blue spot is a tarp out to dry when the satellite too the picture.

The white dot to the left next to the driveway and in the woods is out original cotton cabin where I hope to have Miss Lin stay this summer.

Fine looking layout, Se�or.
Some well executed tillage and cultivation clearly visible, ....you should be proud.

Book left here Thursday or Friday,......headed in your general direction.

GTC

Thanks. The tillage at the top of the first picture is set aside salmon habitat. It looks a lot different now that it is planted.

Wait a minute,...you have Salmon that GRAZE ?!

I'm kinda' lost, on that one.

GTC

happiness is a smile on my wife's face.
happiness is seeing my dogs.
happiness is a hard days work
happiness is watching the sunrise and the sunset
happiness is pancakes and peanut butter
happiness is life itself

I was referring to the top of the first picture. That is land we set aside for the land trust. It is planted in native trees to provide shade for the salmon stream that makes up our upper property line. Thus the salmon habitat. They paid us REAL WELL to do that.

I have been told we all evolved from the sea but I have lived here for three years and so far I have not caught any salmon coming out to graze. I am starting to think this whole evaluation thing is a fairy tale.

Wonder whether a Collie, or a Heeler will be needed to "work" em'.

Ride along old Paint I'm a leavin' .....

HEY wait a Minute !

Herdin' FISH ?

GTC

Coulg het my cat to heard them right up to the smoker.

Gonna' be REALLY hard to write any C&W , or Cowboy Poetry about alla' this, Ya' know.

GTC

I am worried about having to rope one off the back off a running horse.

Rope ?

Gaff ?

WTF, over ?

GTC

Just to cover the opposite:

One guaranteed key to unhappiness is a finely honed sense of entitlement.

Has to be a rope. How can you get a cowboy poem that rimes with gaf? it won;t work.


I wonder what kind of hat, belt buckle, and boots a fishboy wears. Can you picture a fishboy getting off his horse, removing his hat and dusting off the fish scaled off his jeans?


I cannot believe I am in this conversation while sober.

Man,....we've got a "theme" to work with here,....and if it has to lay dormant for a while,....so much the better.


Where's Frank Zappa when we REALLY need him?

" I cannot believe I am in this conversation while sober."

Quit sniveling,....(glug, glug, glug ....)there I had one for ya' !

GTC

Heading for bed my friend. Morning comes early and I have to fix my own breakfast since the wife is gone this week. Be back tomorrow.

Couldn't agree more,
....the degeneration of independent productive, "How can I turn nothing into something?" mindset into "What can I GET, NEXT, for nothing", is truly the source of most woe evident in these wild times.

I'll roll right along with "God is Great, Beer is good, and People are crazy...."

GTC

Work safe,....Travel safe,

"Fish Wrangler"

GTC

These days, it's when I land at the San Antonio aiport after being away working for 31 days at a pop and see my wonderful wife and fine 12 year old son pull up in the truck to pick me me. Our smiles are immense.

Happiness is the grandson in the seat of the truck going for breakfast on Sunday morning.If I dont show up to get him he aint happy.

Faster horses.
Younger women.
Older whisky.
More money!