Wednesday, July 26: Happiness even inside Unhappiness

THE DEEP WORK
The deep work is this: even when we are unhappy, to find the happiness inside that.

Huh?

EVEN WHEN WE ARE UNHAPPY, WE CAN
FIND OUR HAPPINESS
INSIDE OF THAT.

And I’m not talking about being happy that we are suffering, as if our suffering is a punishment we deserve. This actually goes on a lot: we don’t accomplish something and then beat ourselves up about it as if that’s the way to make some invisible Judge happy.

Forget the judge. Or do the Byron Katie work with the judgment. For now, though, consider this possibility: even when you mind is railing away at you, and your body is feeling that constricted and sloggy feeling we feel when we feel bad, that you can sense some calm and still and serene place inside all that, and that place is happy.

Happy to be alive.

Or happy because that’s what it always is.

Or happy that you came home to your core and discovered yourself.

Or happy because happy isn’t even the right word for it, since there’s no word, or some combination of peace and ease and release and love and gratitude and joy and happiness is all there, always, waiting for us in our core.

Wouldn’t that be nice? Or: isn’t that nice?