From the Shores of the Ottawa River

 

This blog is inspired by something I read recently.

Leisure, freedom from responsibility, down time,  being carefree. These are the words associated with being on a holiday.

As a wife and a mother,  I  am a worrier , particularly as my husband is experiencing health challenges. 

Some of my responsibilities  are

1. I Produce and host a  podcast, called Empathetic Witness
2.  I manage a non-profit  foundation, Seventh Generation Indigenous,  Foundation  and Training  seventhgift.ca (GIFT)
3. I am also a blogger
4. I work at a law Firm 

I set out to take a  “staycation” this summer.  My intention is to reconnect with my sense of happiness.   Let me tell ya, happiness is one of my favorite topics.  I read books on happiness, I listen to podcast on happiness, I even meditate on happiness (Meta).

Another favorite thing, over the summer I discovered the joy of salads, creating new and interesting salads, each one more delicious than the next. It gave me a sense of joy and happiness to do this. Too bad my family are not fans of salad. More for me, I guess.

 My quest for Happiness is an endless search for rediscovering myself. It allows me to observe and discover new perspectives from my experiences, and to connect with myself and others. 

I interviewed an Indigenous chef on my podcast, in July 2023 and  it was clear as we talked about food, that the care and attention he gives to the food that he prepares gave him joy.  It was more than food to him; it is about his experiences and  his connection with others through food.

The distressing fires in Alberta BC and even in Ontario it is essential for our mental health that we seek and discover happiness not only this summer but make it part of our life’s quest.   

Tell me – Did you find happiness this summer?  Did  you find it in a shared meal, a camping trip, or visiting  relatives. Maybe you enjoyed a book on the beach.  It may sound trivial or even offensive as the entire world appears to be on fire but, bear with me as I work through this thought: I believe that staying connected to happiness prepares us to handle the very things we need a break from—whether it’s the crises of home or work or our planet on fire, so we can come back to these battles revitalized.   However, It shouldn’t be a battle. A friend mentioned over the weekend that she is finding it difficult to balance work and happiness. My thought is that if you’re doing work that you find purposeful, it should give you happiness.  How do you achieve work happiness balance? It is a subject for another blog post.  Enjoy your Summer I trust it will bring you happiness.