Happiness At-a-Glance 04-03-2017

| April 03, 2017

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness - inalienable rights which our Declaration of Independence

says have been given to all human beings by their Creator,

and which governments are created to protect.

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HAPPINESS FACTOR AS A F[X] OF WEATHER: 3.5

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Along with a Blast from the past....CLICK HERE for this week's soundtrack

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Looking for Happiness in all the right places - DIY

There are a lot of ways to peel the Happiness Onion - but let's get back to basics this week.

1. IN THE NEWS - NORWAY, the 2017 Happiest Country in the World. The Norwegians topped the chart this year for the No.1 Happiness spot on the planet. According to the World Happiness Report 2017, Norway ranked highly on the main factors found to contribute to happiness: “caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance”.

So, as a great believer in "not re-inventing the wheel" I am including that little nugget of information as one starting point on your pursuit of happiness. Whether or not you buy those factors, chances are at least some of them inform your personal happiness. Not convinced? Try a different vantage point: what was your happiness factor when, for example, you saw the schoolyard bully headed your way at recess? When you read news accounts of wildlife being poached and sold to private collectors for their personal viewing pleasure? Opening your birthday check from stingy Uncle Albert? Looking at your account balance after the dot com crash? And maybe how some readers may feel about the change in direction we've taken in the past 90 days on many watershed issues?

'As countries go it really is the golden ticket': readers on living in Norway

CLICK HERE to read this article from The Guardian

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2. THE TIBETAN AT THE CASH REGISTER. For those of you who frequented the WILD OATS at San Mateo and Academy many moons ago, chances are you remember a lovely man you may have encountered on those days when you were fortunate enough to have pointed your cart into his checkout chute. I was always reminded of the line in When Harry Met Sally ("I'll have some of whatever she's having.") when I saw his smiling face. Actually for a country that has faced such difficulties. the faces of Tibet remain noteworthy for their happy expressions...so much so that it is worth noting a Buddhist teaching that is among my favorites: Life is a projection of your mind. It's not about "out there" so much as "in here." Put in the most practical terms: If you don't like the movie you're watching, change the reel.

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3. UPPER SHELF READING. 11 Simple Ways to Make Yourself Happy Every Day. ( CLICK HERE)

This article is definitely a WME-ME-ME selection, but what the heck? It never hurts to start close with your Practice, so let's hear it for self-indulgence.(The idea of this entire exercise is to find what works for you, right?) Try a little tenderness, add a dash of forgiveness, mix in some prioritization...et voila! Here comes the sun!