The Ministry of Happiness

Notice the Small Things

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Michael Kane

Notice the Small Things

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. ~ Mother Teresa

It’s a rainy cold day and I’ve bundled up on the couch, so it’s a good time to talk about noticing the small things. As we grudgingly roll out of bed and blast into our daily routine, commute, and start our work day, it is all too easy to do this in a haze; after all it’s just a another day. But tomorrow, is another day you’re alive, another day that this magic thing that is life is occurring and we should be thankful and enjoy it. We need to find the joy in the standard and the routine for that is the majority of our time. One way to do that is notice the small things. Take a second to return the smile of someone you encounter, notice the sunrise/sunset during your commute, or take a moment to see the new hairstyle someone is wearing in your office.

Noticing these things may not do anything in themselves to increase your happiness, but may increase the happiness of others, which in the end will increase yours. So have a happy day my friends, take your time, remember to breathe, stay positive and notice the small things. ~ Rev Kane

Do not consider any act of kindness insignificant, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face. ~ Mohammed

Why Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Michael Kane

Why Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

I am grateful for what I am and have. My Thanksgiving is perpetual. ~ Henry David Thoreua

I love Thanksgiving, it may be the only holiday I truly love. Why? Well mostly because it’s unaffiliated, it’s not a religious holiday or a patriotic holiday, there is no abstract reasoning to this holiday. This is a holiday that is solely about what is near and dear to us and an opportunity to say thanks for all of it. I would point out that I’ve hosted, and been part of a lot of orphan Thanksgivings in my time, but never an orphan 4th of July or Christmas. One of the beauties of Thanksgiving is that you chose who is your family that day whether they are blood relatives or not.

Another reason I love this day are the traditions that exist, happy get togethers, food, lots of food and football. For me when I was young the tradition was just a little different in that it started with deer hunting, and particularly when my grandfather was still alive, it was a day to go out and spend some time in the woods with him. Now I know those of you opposed to hunting won’t get this, but a big part of the reason you’re out there is the quiet moments of the early mornings out in nature, and to have my grandpa along, so much the better. So we would wake early, go out for a couple of hours, come home and eat a huge breakfast. Then we’d walk in the mid-day and come home to warmth and football and a feast. Being an Irish-Italian family that meant the standard Turkey dinner with the addition of lasagna, meatballs, sausage and maybe a bit of venison thrown in, heaven.

I know that a lot of folks don’t like the excess of Thanksgiving and think this day of what might legitimately be called gluttony is obscene when people are homeless and hungry. I disagree, I think if we always stay focused on people less fortunate you remain perpetually unhappy. In my opinion taking one day a year to spoil yourself, eat too much and revel in whatever excess you have is not only sensible but necessary. We have 364 additional days to help others, what would be wrong is if you didn’t take any of those other days to help.

rev kane, slower pace of life, can make you happy

A slower pace of life can make you happy

So Happy Thanksgiving friends, enjoy your day, your family, your friends and your feast, relax and have a happy day. ~ Rev kane

Posted in Holiday Happiness, personal happiness | Tagged eating, fall, food, happiness, hiking, holiday, hunting, thanksgiving | 3 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Michael Kane

Happy Thanksgiving and on this day of thanks and community a few words by the Dalai Llama on community:

The compassionate mind is very important. Fear, anger, jealousy are based on a self-centered attitude. By developing a sense of caring for others’ well-being your heart automatically opens and that brings transparency, straightforwardness and honesty, which leads to friendship. We are social animals, and one individual’s survival relies entirely on the rest of the community. ~ Dalai Llama

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | 1 Comment

Thoughts on Peace of Mind, the Dalai Llama

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Michael Kane

If you have peace of mind, when you meet with problems and difficulties they won’t disturb your inner peace. You’ll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biased, unable to see reality. So whatever you do will unrealistic and naturally fail. ~ Dalai Llama

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | Tagged dalai llama, happiness, peace, peace of mind | Leave a comment

On Being Present in Your Life

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Michael Kane

On Being Present in Your Life

Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today. ~ Cherokee Indian Proverb

So I sat down to work on my Ministry of Happiness post and decided tonight to work on talking about a very important concept, being present in your life. As with all of the topics I write about I take some time to peruse the web, to see what others have written, to see if there are resources that I can recommend to help you on your journey to a happier life. As will often happy I bumped into the Zenhabits site, and I do believe it is the one of the best sites on the web. At times I’ve referred you to the site to check out a particular resource or item, however tonight I find myself utterly impressed with their post on being present. So, because there is wisdom in knowing when someone has done something better than you can, I will refer you to their amazing piece on being present. And in the spirit of being present in our over stimulated, multitasking world, take a few minutes to do nothing but focus on the article and let it sink in, great way to start a shortened holiday week, here’s the link:

A simple guide to being present for the overwhelmed and overworked

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. ~ Jan Glidewell

Materialism and Happiness, the Dalai Lama

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Michael Kane

Material progress and a higher standard of living bring us greater comfort and health, but do not lead to a transformation of the mind, which is the only thing capable of providing lasting peace. Profound happiness, unlike fleeting pleasures, is spiritual in nature. It depends on the happiness of others and it is based on love and affection.

~Dalai Lama

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | Tagged dalai lama, materialism | Leave a comment

A few words from the Dalai Lama

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Michael Kane

According to my own experience, the highest level of inner calm comes from the development of love and compassion. The more concerned we are with the happiness of others, the more we increase our own well-being. Friendliness and warmth towards others allow us to relax and help us to dispel any sense of fear or insecurity so we can overcome whatever obstacles we face. ~Dalai Lama

Posted in Dalai Lama | Tagged dalai lama, happiness | Leave a comment

Focus on the Good Things

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Michael Kane

Focus on the Good Things

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Life is hard, and if we are to be happy in this hard existence we must remember to focus on the good things. This is not easy. This is not easy at all when a family member is diagnosed with cancer, when your child is having problems in school or in life, or when someone breaks into your home and threatens your very security. We hold so many things dear and when those things, whether they be material things or the more important safety, security or health are threatened, then life seems like it can break us. We can feel our lives to be an insurmountable obstacle that we can neither climb nor escape from, not even for what would be just a precious few hours of rest and peace. When we are at this point and our mental reserves are shot we cannot be there for our loved ones the way would like to be, the way they need us to be. So what do you do?

Taoist philosophy tells us to be patient, there are so many things in life that we cannot control it is useless to waist your energy against an immovable obstacle. So be patient and wait, wait for what you can control, what you can change and then move. This is excellent advice, but what do you do while you’re waiting for that opportunity to change things. You focus on the good things, the cliché is, count your blessings, but it is a worthwhile exercise. And while you are thinking about the good in your life, make sure you smile.

The quote below from Mother Teresa is one of my favorites, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” Because what we must remember is that a smile, even if forced, will make us feel just a little bit better and that’s a start. Even more importantly, in the middle of our pain, or grief, or frustration, by smiling we still can help others. Sometimes in the middle of a purely shit day, a smile from a friend or even a stranger can turn things around. And if you’re smiling at them, they’re likely to smile back and make both of your days just a little bit better. So smile sunshine, things will get better.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. ~ Mother Teresa

Morning Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Michael Kane

Material progress and a higher standard of living improve comfort and health but do not lead to a transformation of the mind, the only thing capable of providing lasting peace. Profound happiness, unlike fleeting pleasures, is spiritual by nature. It depends on the happiness of others, and it is based on love and tenderness. ~ Dalai Lama

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | Tagged dalai lama, happiness, personal happiness | Leave a comment

Truth and Honesty Lead to Happiness

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Michael Kane

Truth and Honesty Lead to Happiness

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~ Margaret Young

It’s important in our lives to have someone outside of us who can reflect honesty back upon us. We all lie to ourselves, I don’t eat that much, I don’t drink a lot of coffee, I get enough sleep, we all tell ourselves things that are not true. Most of these are innocuous lies that don’t have much impact, but some of these lies to impinge upon our happiness. I serve this role for my friends, perhaps a bit more vigorously than I need to, but in the end I am the one person many of my friends know will tell them the truth no matter what the consequences. Of course this also leads to the other side of the coin, they will often not ask me questions because they are afraid of the answer. However this is a trade-off I accept as it seems that the questions they avoid are a lot less serious than the ones they ask.

I remember back in graduate school I had become friends with a really pretty undergraduate, I had a bit of a crush on her but it was obvious that was never going anywhere and she was a lot of fun to hang out with. One day, excitedly she rushed up to me and asked, “How do you like my new hairdo?” “It looks like shit,” I replied and she burst into tears and called me several names and pointed out that I was a mean evil bastard. You see she’d been getting compliments all day on her new hair cut. A funny thing happened when she related this story to her friends, some started to back track on their previous compliments. You see I was the bad guy so they weren’t the ones who were hurting her feelings. In the end it came out, the hair cut wasn’t so great.

Now granted I could have been more diplomatic in my response, but in the end she became one of those people who knew she could trust to tell her the truth. We all need these people in our lives because we can’t move forward in our pursuit of happiness without a true accounting of what our life really is at present. So find some honest reflection in yourself or another and I promise you’ll have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

The Ministry of Happiness

Notice the Small Things

Notice the Small Things

Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

Why Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

Why Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving

Thoughts on Peace of Mind, the Dalai Llama

On Being Present in Your Life

On Being Present in Your Life

Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

Materialism and Happiness, the Dalai Lama

A few words from the Dalai Lama

Focus on the Good Things

Focus on the Good Things

Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

Morning Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

Truth and Honesty Lead to Happiness

Truth and Honesty Lead to Happiness

Other Posts You Might Enjoy!

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