"To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness,

though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost."
--Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

I find that lately, I've been giving a lot more of myself. Thank heavens people find my babbling useful, or at least entertaining! Maybe it has to do with the number of activities I've been engaged in. Maybe it is the amount of thinking and preparation that goes into all of these activities. How can I describe it other than a happy feeling of being wanted in several places at once?

And yet... somehow there is always a "however", isn't there?

There are many close to me dealing with heavy burdens. I watch people dissatisfied with themselves, unsure who they want to be, running away from problems, trying desperately hard not to be unhappy, trying to be appreciated, trying to be liked, trying to be loved, trying to be desired, trying to be wanted, trying to be needed, trying to be decieved, trying to be noticed, trying not to feel, trying to forget being happy.

Trying to get to "normal", wherever that may be.

Who among us can say that they are content? Who is happy with their bodies, or their feelings, or their situations, or their affections, or their friends, or their behavior towards others?

It's a common thing to be confronted by people wishing to explain themselves. We seek approval for what we do. We desire confirmation that we're on the right path. The acknowledgement of someone we respect goes a long way to quieting the voices of doubt.

Empathy: I am humbled by what I feel when I pay attention.

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