God Rays

 As soon as I saw the image on this week's postcard, my heart lifted. Such beauty. Golden sunlight shining through trees - one of my favourite things to see, always. I felt a rush of happiness at the sight of them.

Then I read the words which accompany the image, "Happiness shines back like the light of heaven", by the American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat of the first half of the 19th century, Washington Irving. I googled him and discovered that he was responsible for the well-known stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Both of which have risen to the level of American folk tales.

"Happiness shines back like the light of heaven." I have experienced this sometimes. When I have been particularly happy, the world seems to come into clearer focus - everything I see around me is illuminated by its own inner light, which I am willing to believe is not objectively true, but a result of my state of mind influencing my vision. I think that for me, that is what makes a place, a memory, sacred. In my memory, it is lit by the rays of God, the light of heaven.

And because memory is faulty and will fade in time, I have sometimes tried to capture the essence of the beauty of what my eyes have seen by using the camera on my phone. My nearest equivalent to this picture happened one Autumn morning in Salcey Forest, when I saw this, and was filled with joy and wonder at the beauty of God's creation:

I am so grateful for eyes to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, a mouth to taste, skin to touch and a heart and soul to interpret and understand. I believe it is our senses which bring the glory of God into our experience, and our hearts and souls which enable us to be ready to receive it. It is what we perceive through our senses which brings us happiness, which reflects the light of heaven into our lives. And it need not be limited to natural beauty - I have felt the same thing when beholding the face of a friend or family member, when listening to something which speaks to my condition and so on. We are complex creatures and our responses to events and places and people will be unique to each of us. But I do believe that when we are awake to them, they can also point us to the presence of the Divine in our world.

You Can't Capture Happiness

 The 20th century German author Werner Mitsch, once wrote, "Happiness can only be captured by passing it on." (or paying it forward).

And I agree with what I think is the sentiment - that it is a good idea to make others happy by our kind deeds and words - but I do not believe that it is possible to "capture" happiness. In fact, I think that the more we strive to be happy, the more we pursue it, the more unlikely it is that we will find it.

In my experience, happiness is something that happens to me - I will be in a particular situation, perhaps spending time with loved ones, or out in the glorious beauties of nature, or sitting at my desk writing, or creating my latest crochet project, and Zing! I am full of happiness. But I am very clear that this is not due to my own efforts - I am the fortunate receiver of it. Like I said, I honestly do not believe you can capture happiness. 

But it is only too easy to let it pass us by, not notice it while it is happening, and then wonder why our lives seem to have lost their savour. I make a conscious effort to be open to it, and to appreciate it while it's there. 

I suppose there is one sense in which can capture happiness. That is, when we take a photo or write down our sensations, so that we can recall them later. I am currently writing a memoir of my life, called Compass Point Joy and the process has been a very happy one. I have looked back through old photographs and old journals and have remembered many small incidents which have brought me joy. Which I might not have recalled, had I not "captured" them in words or pictures.

A Ray of Sunshine

 The 19th / 20th century Austrian novelist, Hugo von Hoffmansthal, once wrote, "A ray of sunshine can make a new person of me."

As soon as I read those words, I thought, "yes!". Because the appearance of the sun always cheers me up. Particularly if it is a blue sky and sunshine morning after several grey days, when I know the sun has been up there somewhere, but masked by a solid cloud field. On such days, I cannot wait to get out into it, to take an early morning walk and admire the beauty of the natural world, lit by the early morning sun.

I particularly enjoy getting up at 6 at this time of year, when I am up before the sun shows her face, and am able to watch the beauty of the changing colours of the sunrise from my bedroom window. And, if I am upstairs in the late afternoon, I can also witness some glorious sunsets from the other window.

But I believe that this quote can also refer not only to actual sunshine, but also to metaphorical sunshine. If we are feeling fed up or sad or angry or cynical or despairing, a walk in the sunshine can help to lift our mood. But so too can a kind word from a friend, hearing or seeing something that tickles our funny bone, receiving some good news, or the presence of a carefree child . For example, I will never forget squeezing through the crowds in Tesco one pre-Christmas weekday nine years ago, feeling fed up and grumpy, and having my day transformed by the wonder of a small child. I blogged about it here. That small child's wonder at the beauty of the Christms decorations in the store lifted my mood completely. They were a true ray of sunshine.

We can be rays of sunshine to others, sometimes without knowing it. It is always a thrill for me to receive an e-mail from another Unitarian, who has listened to my [online] service and been moved by it in some way. (This doesn't happen very often, so I always appreciate it). 

And I have found that other people can be rays of sunshine to me as a writer. If I share a piece of writing for critiquing, it is always good to hear other people's insights about it, and their suggestions on how to improve it. They can be illuminating. My son was my first reader for my fantasy trilogy (which I've so nearly finished now) and his comments were always devastatingly honest and insightful. And helped me to improve the MS no end. My three Beta readers have likewise helped me to make it better. It can sometimes be hard to hear critiques of our own writing, but I have learned that when they are made in a spirit of helpfulness rather than nastiness, they are always worth listening to, and should generally be acted on.

So let us try to be rays of sunshine to each other, and also try to appreciate the rays of sunshine which come our way, in whatever form.

The Worry Gene

 The 16th century French bishop and Doctor of the Church, Francis de Sales, once wrote, "Face what comes your way, not with fear / anxiety, but with hope."

Which is good advice which I, as a natural optimist, find easy to follow. But in recent times, scientific research has revealed that many of us have a genetic disposition towards worry and anxiety. The medical website Healthline.com, suggests that the so-called "worry gene" is not a myth, but a reality. They report, "While it seems that a number of factors can put you at risk for developing anxiety disorders, research suggests that anxiety is hereditary, at least in part."

Of course, everyone feels anxious sometimes, but for those who suffer from full-blown anxiety, it can be debilitating, as they worry about various dark, amorphous futures. Healthline suggest that, "Most anxiety disorders are chronic, meaning they never truly disappear. However, there are lots of effective treatment options out there for anxiety disorders. Through therapy, lifestyle changes, and perhaps medication, you can learn to cope better so that you can manage your disorder."

They also suggest that sharing your anxiety with someone, whether that is a therapist or a friend or family member, can be beneficial. I know from my own limited experience with anxiety that it really does help to talk about it. So perhaps the best thing we optimists can do is to be willing to sit alongside our anxious friends, being ready to listen with the ears of our hearts, without judgement and without trying to fix whatever the problem is. In other words, by showing compassion.

As Buddhist nun, Pema Chödrön once wrote, "In cultivating compassion we draw from the wholeness of our experience - our suffering, our empathy, as well as our cruelty and terror. It has to be this way. Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity."