The chorus has become my refuge. A place to go once a week and sing and be happy. I've become united with a great group of guys and re-united with old friends and acquaintances. It is beautiful to see the friendships and the bond among us being created. The power of singing in unison with a group sends chills down your spine when all of you are singing in tune all at once!
Bob Bruneau, our Director, wrote a song back in 1978 entitled "Toujours Gai" which is a 'Can Can' style song which we had a lot of fun singing at last nights performance. Here are some of the lyrics, which make up the title of today's blog entry:
Always pride, always hope, always love,
I couldn't live my life another way,
Toujours Gai, Toujours Gai,
Lifes a ball, have it all, Come what may!
I'm never down, spread sunshine all around
I'm living life so free and naturally,
Who cares what people say,
My life's a holiday!
The most important things in life are free!
One of those friendships that has been re-kindled has been with my friend Paco Ojeda. Paco came to visit me a couple of weekends ago and we spent the weekend talking and sharing and catching up on each others lives. Paco literally oozes creativity! He is a very well known photographer and is Editor in Chief for the best and most important magazine here in the area called 'Vallarta Lifestyles'. Recently he has started teaching paper mache' classes at The Cultural Center in Puerto Vallarta. I had the privilege of being invited to Paco's home last week, where among other things he showed off some of his videos he has created! He's that super creative friend that one truly envies!
During Paco's visit I shared with him that I had started this blog about happiness and I asked him what happiness meant to him and here is what he said.
"For me, it's about surrounding myself with three I's (when it comes
to friends, work partners, etc.
INSPIRED
INSPIRING
INSPIRABLE
Inspired people permeate a positive energy that, when one is willing to
perceive, is very nurturing.
Inspiring people are the folks that I think about when I go to bed after
each day, thinking to myself "wow, I really like this about this
person" and so forth.
Finally, we all go through life learning and teaching. So surrounding
oneself with INSPIRABLE people, that is, folks that one can transform
favorably, is the ultimate testament to being alive and having a sense of
purpose."
When he spoke those words at my dining room table it really hit home and has helped me to focus more on inspiration, which leads you towards a path of happiness.
I am inspired to share with you all what my friend Rafael has to say about happiness.
My friend Rafael lives in Monterrey, Mexico with his beautiful wife and children and works as an accountant decided to answer the question, ‘How do I find happiness?’
As you read his thoughts on happiness you can't help but feel the love for his children, the pride in his family, and his inspiration to always be learning and his hope for a happy life for himself and his family.
I find happiness
through the following:
1.
Family. I’ve learned that my family - wife and
children - is my most valuable asset. I
love them. I’m happy when they are happy.
Receiving a hug from one of my children, for instance, gives me true
happiness. I believe that having and
nurturing children is a superb experience. Personally I’d say it’s a ‘heavenly
experience’, because through very simple and daily events I’m able to feel
great joy in my heart.
2.
Investing
in myself. When I’m in the summit of a
nearby mountain I feel very happy.
Hiking is one of the activities I do to invest in myself. I also enjoy
playing the piano, reading a good book or playing a good chess game. I often set apart time for being with myself
doing what I enjoy to do.
3.
Being
productive. If I’m not feeling happy I
need to look around and see if I’m procrastinating at work. I’ve founded that at times that is one of the
reasons that makes me feel blue. The
opposite, doing my work and accomplishing deadlines (sometimes deadlines
imposed by myself) brings me a sense of satisfaction, which makes me feel
happy.
4.
Learning. Every time I learn something new I feel
happy. That’s why I like to be always
learning, which is a very hard to do goal.
I believe that every new truth we learn helps us to be a better
person. Helping others to learn the
things I know also brings me happiness and the opportunity to learn new things.
5.
Doing good
to others. I like to believe in the
‘golden rule’ or ‘karma’. I believe that
if I do good things I will reap good things.
I believe that what we give soon or later come back. When I find myself helping others I feel
happy. I feel happy and grateful when
people offer a hand to help me.
