Don't Worry - Be Happy!

I received this gorgeous award from my friend Claire who indicated that the criteria for accepting the award was to list 10 things that make you happy. Sounds easy enough, right? Well...it seems that my perspective of "happiness" has changed considerably since I received my diagnosis. I guess that I would have to say that when it comes to happiness, I am much less "shallow" than I once was. Or am I? Hmmm...perhaps I shall offer up a retrospective on my perception of happiness.

1. Yesterday, my friend Rosie and I got into a bit of a discussion on happiness. We were discussing companies who, when you resign, offer you more money to stay. One company that I worked at for several years ago, did that to me. I looked at the woman who was making me the offer and I said, "Do you really think that the money will make me enjoy a job that I no longer have fun at?" She indicated that she thought it would help. So I asked, "Okay. Let's say that I accept the offer, and 6 months down the road, I realize that I am still unhappy. Will you offer me more money again when I resign?" She looked shocked, sat silent for a moment, and then said, "No."
"Okay then," I told her. "I guess that there is no need to make me the offer now."
Money does not make me happy. It fills voids, but it does not create happiness in me. The government of Alberta, in handing down the most recent budget, announced that they would not cut funding to health care. Instead, they would dump billions of dollars more into health care. That use of money made me very happy!

2. Those of you who have followed my blog may recall that I prefer travelling in developing countries as opposed to the developed ones. I don't know, maybe I have a wee bit of Angelina Jolie in me (minus the Brad Pitt!), but I love the simplicity of life in developing countries. Now, before any of you start shrieking at that statement, you are right - life is not easy for people in developing countries. They face hunger, violence, disease, neglect, victimization, etc daily. But still and all, there is a simplicity to their lives that is lacking here. Their stresses are very different from ours. They do not stress about climbing the corporate ladder, paying the mortgage, eating out in the best restaurants, wearing the latest designer clothing. They take life as it comes, and they are grateful for what they have. Everywhere I have travelled, I have witnessed smiles, laughter and joy being demonstrated in abundance. Watching children in tattered clothing, playing in the dirt, a stick their only toy, and hearing the sound of their laughter - that makes me happy.

3. Walking in nature makes me very happy! There is something almost spiritual about walking on trails in the woods, listening to the crack of twigs underfoot, the crunch of leaves and to hear the scurrying of small animals seeking shelter as you approach. I love the smell of the earth, the moss, the flowers all mixed together into a warm, comforting aroma. I love looking up at the sky through the tapestry of the tree branches - natures art work. Spectacular! As well, I am happiest when I am by the ocean, or by the mountains. My spirit is calmed by these things. When I die, I will be most happy if my family breaks Canadian law and scatters my ashes in the mountains.

4. I love the opera! It takes my breath away. It soothes my soul. It speaks to me. It makes me want to learn Italian. But happily, they provide subtitles so that I don't have to learn Italian! That makes me happy.

5. My family and friends make me incredibly happy. They piss me off from time to time, but overall, they make me incredibly happy! I am blessed. In my darkest hours, who was there for me? My family and my closest friends. Not one of them reacted to me with the horror that I felt when they were told that I had cancer. Not one of them ever made me feel that I would not survive. Not one of them abandoned me. They made me happy!

6. The fact that I live in a country where health care is accessible to all - that makes me happy! Never once have I worried that I cannot have a test or a procedure because my insurance won't cover it. Never once have I worried that I would not be able to afford the very expensive medications that are included in the cancer package. Never once have I felt that I would not be given the absolute best medical care that was possible. I am happy to live in Canada in general, Alberta in particular.

7. I am happy that Dr Robert Buckman from Princess Margaret Hospital wrote the book Cancer is a word, not a sentence, which was so helpful to me. I am also happy that Dr Jimmie Holland from Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC wrote, The Human Side of Cancer. These two books were integral in getting me through the first couple of months after my diagnosis, and I recommend them to everyone that I know who has been recently diagnosed.

8. I am happy that Washington D.C. got two huge dumps of snow, and Edmonton Alberta Canada did not ;)

9. I am happy to have been amongst the first 5000 people invited to view the new Art Gallery of Alberta, a phenomenal new gallery that vaguely resembles the Sydney Opera House. And I am happy that there are artists in the world, who open our eyes to new ways of looking at life.

10. I am happy that Daria introduced me, and then re-introduced me to blogging. You are a doll Daria! And an inspiration. I am happy to know you!