I’ve just done something which is a rarity for me.
I took a break.
Frankly, it was rather accidental.
I was due to be teaching in the Middle East last week, but it got called off at the last moment so I had some rare free days.
Which meant I could take a flight to Spain, and enjoy the pleasures of the Mediterranean.
No, that’s not where to find happiness, although it’s not a bad thought.
It's a delightful place, with lovely people, delicious food and drink, and stunning scenery. As you can see.
Instead, what I’m talking about here needs no journey at all to find happiness.
Except, perhaps, inwards and emotionally.
My holiday routine was remarkably simple:
A run in the morning, to wake me up and get some exercise…
Plunging into the sea straight afterwards, for that gorgeous endorphin rush…
A splendid Mediterranean brunch, with lots of fruit…
A restaurant overlooking the sea and sunset in the evening…
(After a walk around, and another swim, of course.)
And it was by the sun-blessed sea where I realised the place to find happiness.
Decent early runs, and the swims did it for me.
But there were even simpler alternatives.
One morning, I saw a man jogging barefoot through the waves, and looking as though he was in bliss.
Then I saw a woman, meditating serenely as the sea lapped gently around her.
Happiness doesn’t require long journeys to exotic holiday destinations.
Or a new car, or kitchen, or set of outfits each year…
Nor even great piles of money.
The wonder of happiness is that it’s different for everyone…
But for all of us, it lies within.
All we have to do is find it.
