Thursday, August 27, 2009

Happiness

I guess I'm lucky; I hit what I consider to have been my "mid-life crisis" when I was still in my thirties. It was then that I figured out what is, for me, the key to happiness: figure out what it is you really like to do, and do it as often as humanly possible. When you can't, then spend as much time as possible dreaming of and planning for what it is you really like to do.

For me, this means spending time outdoors. I'm never as happy as when I'm outside; hunting, fishing, backpacking, even just sitting on a stream bank watching the water flow or watching the dog swim in a back-country lake. It relaxes me and makes me feel whole. It is when I approach and experience almost total satisfaction in body and mind.

Don't get me wrong -- I have a career and I work hard. Fortunately, as an outside sales person I have lots of down time driving from town to town to see my customers, so I have a lot of time to dream and plan my next backpacking or hunting or fishing adventure. When I'm at home I spend most of my spare time pouring over maps, reading guidebooks, checking out outdoor-related web sites, reloading shotgun shells or tying flies.

Of course, my ex-wife though me a bit obsessive, which may explain why I'm not married any more. But I'm happy -- at least most of the time -- and to me that's what is most important.