A being of here and now, a child is unconditionally happy. Fed, healthy, clean, and clutching a toy – what are the reason to be sad? Any moment is a wonder, play and delight. Little bumps and bruises cause tears, but just for a short while. Forgetting the last fall, and not projecting that it might happen again in the future – this is the true mastery, the mastery of a child, simply climbing a favourite tree again. Maybe it helps that a child doesn’t need to know what it takes to be happy, it simply is…as we grow older we accumulate a lot of boxes to be ticked en route to happiness.
I feel my true happiness often reveals itself through my body: when I dance or simply roll on the floor in a spontaneous movement, when I run or cycle. When my mind isn’t evaluating whether I’ve got it all, before mercifully allowing some contentment - then it seeps through and becomes very clear – in here and now, I do not need anything to be happy, because I’ve got it all. It’s only when my mind claws its way into the future, all the conditions precedent are still looming. But in here and now, honestly, who cares about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? I’m clutching my favourite toy, I’m loved and looked after, and so, I’m happy!
