The Secret to Happiness
It’s 8:30 pm and I’m sitting across the living room from my husband Kevin. He’s relaxing in the middle of our 20-year-old well-worn sofa which can never be replaced because it’s the perfect fit in our cottage home. I chose the wing-back chair with the throw pillows tonight, the one that came with the marriage.
We have our feet in slippers, perched on the ottoman between us. Frida Calico is resting lazily near our feet, fat and happy from the bowl of ice cream Kevin so graciously shared with her.
Kevin is reading a literal tome of a journal from some guy who built a sea-worthy wooden sailboat in the early 1900’s. He’s been reading it for weeks. Every few minutes he looks up to see if I’m ready to hear another amusing anecdote of the gentleman’s foibles and follies.
When he can see I’m otherwise consumed, he just laughs quietly to himself. He’s recently refurbished his own wooden schooner and can’t get enough stories of others who share his passion.
I’ve been reading The Sun Magazine, a monthly indulgence I’ve enjoyed for the last 25 years. It’s my favorite bedtime stories of poetry, passion, literature and interviews about culture, nature, and everything good in between. My favorite part of each issue is the ‘Reader’s Write’ section with a different theme each month. Readers are invited to share their memories and stories and this month’s theme is simply “Bread”.
Our youngest is in his room ‘doing homework’ (aka: video games) and Zsa Zsa the dog is biding her time, waiting for her 9:30 nightly walk around the neighborhood. Her level of happiness increases dramatically when she can fall asleep promptly at 10. If she could, she'd have a bedtime routine including sliding into Bamboo pajamas and brush her teeth if it helped her get to bed on time.
I glance around at the peace surrounding me and am awash with gratitude. My life hasn’t always been so bucolic and the pure joy of another quiet evening at home isn’t lost on me.
After a lifetime of seeking happiness, it seems it’s finally found me and I'm reaping the benefits of gratitude. For years, I thought perhaps it was hiding in New York or San Diego, Auckland or Hood River. I thought maybe I’d missed it when I broke up with the love-of-my-22-year-old-life or left my ‘spiritual twin’ to move to Atlanta at 27. But it turns out, happiness was right here waiting for me the whole time.
It isn’t all as easy as tonight. This just happens to be a perfect evening, filled with familiarity, unconditional love and comfort.
This is pure positive emotion happening. I see this slow fade into love as a common thread of happiness. Take the time to notice how these strands of comfort are woven into your own life. At first, they may appear small and dispersed, but when you step back to see the entire tapestry, it’s a thing of vibrant beauty.
Faceplant Dreams is founded in these simple strands, these moments and hours of comfortable love. It feels good to feel good. Immediately, our luxurious bamboo pajamas make you feel the kind of special you deserve to feel.
And then you’ll notice the distinctive details… the buttery smooth bamboo viscose that keeps you cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold. The discretion liners in the shirts that give you peace of mind when you answer the door. Your fancy furry slides that are so cozy, you'll be convinced the two of you are true soul mates (or would that be sole mates?)
And somewhere in the quiet evening is when the shift occurs. It just happens. You realize you're in love. This isn't about one magical moment, the traditional 'happily ever after' story or even our cozy pajamas.
This is how truly happy people find love, by practicing gratitude for the tiny strands that fill their tapestry. To find greater happiness on any level is spiritual growth and we're honored to be even a thread in yours. Because in the end, life satisfaction is about the simple and familiar.
Sweet dreams, always.
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