⑬ Happiness is something you notice, not something you search for ─ Days of finding small happiness ─

Some time ago, during a sermon after a memorial service, I was asked this question:

"What do you have right now that you would not want to lose?"

At that time, I just thought of things vaguely, like,

"Maybe my family? Maybe my friends?"

I had never thought deeply about what I "would not want to lose" when asked.

However, the words that followed took me by surprise.

"To have something you do not want to lose means that you already possess it."

Ah... I see.

Perhaps I had been searching only for the things I "did not have" all this time.

I would be happy if I had more.

I would be happy if I could do more.

I thought that if I could just obtain something, I would surely be fulfilled.

I thought that way, but the things I truly wanted to cherish were already in my hands.

Since then, my daily life has changed little by little.

When I was only looking for what I lacked, no matter how hard I tried, my heart somehow never felt full.

But since I started focusing on "what I have now," I feel as though a quiet warmth has spread through my heart in a mysterious way.

Moments when I feel grateful

There are moments in my daily life when I feel grateful or happy.

For example, when I breathe in the morning air.

I have experienced subarachnoid hemorrhage three times in my life, and I have also undergone one surgery for an unruptured cerebral aneurysm.

And in my case, all three hemorrhages occurred in the "morning."

That is precisely why I feel truly grateful to be able to welcome the morning like this now.

Waking up.

Opening the curtains.

Breathing in the morning air.

It is just that, but

"Morning has come again today."

There are times when I can think that way.

Besides that,

The scent of rice cooking.

The warmth of being wrapped in a blanket.

The colors the evening sky shows us.

The time spent looking up at the moon at night.

None of these are extraordinary things.

However, I believe that it is within such casual, everyday moments that the happiness I 'don't want to lose' is packed.

Happiness is not something you 'search for,' but something you 'notice'

When we think of happiness, we sometimes imagine something like a major event.

When a dream comes true. When you get something you wanted. When you accomplish something.

Of course, those moments are happy too.

But in reality, there may be plenty of happiness much closer to us.

Waking up in the morning.

Being able to laugh with someone.

Being able to eat a warm meal.

Being able to listen to your favorite music.

Looking up at the sky.

Being able to spend this day.

'Happiness is not something you search for, but something you notice'

The question posed in a previous sermon taught me just that.

And perhaps, from the moment you notice it, your heart becomes a little lighter ☺️

Afterword

While writing this, I also found myself thinking about it again.

"What are the things I don't want to lose?"

When I think about it, it wasn't necessarily "things."

The time spent laughing with my family.

The happiness gained from my experiences so far.

The happiness felt through connections with people.

And the personal growth and sense of fulfillment gained through various experiences.

I think each of those things is the "happiness I have now."

The time we spend casually and the daily life we take for granted might, perhaps, become "precious things I didn't want to lose" when we look back on them someday.

That is why I want to cherish each day while noticing the happiness that is already here.

May you also find many small happinesses within yourself today,

and notice them all ☀️✨

⬆ Today the sky is gloomy across the country... I would be happy if you could read this too ✨