I've been reading the happiness project and contemplating starting my own little project. The obstacles I'm currently working around:
- I must be available anytime night or day to be at work. I work 12-14 hour days.
- I have no intimate partner or close circle of friends on the island. Female friends are very hard to come by here. My roommate is mute and today does not respond to hello.
On the plus side:
- I have financial resources I can expend on the project.
- There is no one I have obligations to at home for improving their happiness.
- I already have the following in good order: physical health, job, intellectual pursuit
So the following are candidates for improvements that need action steps.
1. become more confident/aggressive- only idea is to take a martial arts class
2. be less critical. accept people exactly as they are
3. be less shy outside of work and more open to strangers- I did meet and go out with strangers last night
Creative friends-- let me know if you have suggestions. Have you undertaken any of your own challenges in this arena?
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3 comments:
dear hazel,
i admire and applaud your contemplations despite the difficult obstacles. and i always find starting a new project invigorating. #2 is one that i constantly return to realizing how much it benefits all my relationships. at one point, i attempted to withhold my opinion unless asked for a month. it may have lasted a week... perhaps i should attempt it again. #3 is one i learned from my dad, and i have always been thankful for that gift.
You are so inspiring! I love the way you are willing to tackle something big and the way you reflect God's love even in really dark places.
I read the book Holy Fools a while ago and it talked about the desert fathers and mothers. One thing I loved was how these Christians in the first century would do "acts of secret goodness" where no one would be able to thank them for what they did, with the idea that then they would be out of the way and God would get the glory. I did that for Lent one year, and it was interesting to find out things about myself and my motivations. And it was surprisingly fun too...it took some of the pressure off in terms of expecting something in return.
Hmmm.... action vs. sentiment. Love is action. Love is a discipline of hope (that's my conclusion this year). A pattern of choices and responses that reflects hope and love for others, including (particularly including) those who are most challenging. Love always hopes. And it never fails. Things done in love are never wasted... I have found these truths hopeful and encouraging.
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