Memories: Of Moments In Bliss…
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” Joseph Campbell
Memories: Of Moments In Bliss…
Memories: Of Moments In Bliss…
“It’s good to be just plain happy, it’s a little better to know that you’re happy; but to understand that you’re happy and to know why and how and still be happy, be happy in the being and the knowing, well that is beyond happiness, that is bliss.” Henry Miller
And In That Moment You Were Happy…
I was thrilled to read this easy writing prompt from SoulPancake: Give us that one defining moment when you (were) in a state of pure bliss… Quick-write the who, what, when, where and why of one of the best times of your life. I think life is full of defining moments; we just have to find our own way of remembering them and the details surrounding them. I picked three events and added the essential contents below. The birth of my twins was both a blissful event and an introduction to motherhood. … and the memories linger. One of the goals of the prompt is to be brief … that is something I need to practice more.
Who: Moi & my family
What: Motherhood
When: A cold fall day
Where: A NYC hospital
Why: The twins arrived and changed our lives for the better.
“It is only when you have both divine grace and human endeavor that you can experience bliss, just as you can enjoy the breeze of a fan only when you have both a fan and the electrical energy to operate it.” Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Memories: Of Moments In Bliss…
“For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”
William Wordsworth
And In That Moment You Were Happy…
My first defining moment above was on the bliss of motherhood. It was an exhilarating time and words can’t fully describe the bliss and joy of it. For my next event, I added the bliss of friendship and fun below. What made this particular event blissful was that I was leaving the UK and everything that made my life comfortable, and moving to the USA. My friends gathered on a snowy day to send me off. A harrowing car chase almost ruined the day, but the gods of grace intervened and the rest of our time was spent in a state of pure bliss.
Who: A group of friends
What: Partying – my sendoff to the US from the UK
When: During a dreadful winter snowstorm
Where: A friend’s home in Finchley
Why: A friend and I had just survived a bizarre accident and it was blissful to be alive and to say goodbye
“Who falls from all he knows of bliss, Cares little into what abyss” Lord Byron
Memories: Of Moments In Bliss…
“Creeds, ritual, religion and different theologies are all derived from man’s yearning for the vast Reality beyond – and flow in the thousand different forms, fertilizing many fields, calming many communities, refreshing tired people and, at last, carrying people to the ocean of Bliss.” Sri Sathya Sai Baba
And In That Moment You Were Happy…
Back in the 1980s-90s, I spent time in a meditation ashram. It was a special phase of my life and I have fond memories of the chants and community effort we shared. Chanting was a huge part of ashram life and I loved it because chanting took me to that place of ecstasy and bliss. Our daily chants were meant to uplift us and invoke peace in the world.
Who: community of yogis
What: Chanting for peace
When: summer time
Where: Ashram or meditation center
Why: To uplift our collective energy and to embrace peace
What about you? What are your thoughts? Have you had moments of bliss? What prompted it? Do you remember how you felt and the final outcome? Do you tell yourself to be happy? What affirmations do you use? Do share! Thank you. 😉
This post was inspired by a prompt from Soul Pancake: And In That Moment You Were Happy. Give us that one defining moment when you are in a state of pure bliss. When not even the news of yet another financial crisis or natural disaster could ruin your day. Quick-write the who, what, when, where and why of one of the best times of your life.
*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Bliss belongs to all of us… find and follow yours.
More Wellness Boosters/Affirmations & Resources
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All photos My Bliss, friendship, chanting monks, via Wikipedia and/or lady in bliss by oddsock, via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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Motherhood is a blissful time and I have fond memories of my childbirths too. This is a lovely post. By the way, I had to come to your blog to read tbis as the link by email came to a blank page.
B
TY for your comment… It was fun one to write but has had a few bumps since I posted it… Testing my bliss I suppose. 😆
because I do not have enough empathy (as a man), how strong it is, to give twins a life: I’m impressed (and can follow your feelings) as you left UK for US:
What: Partying – my sendoff to the US from the UK
When: During a dreadful winter snowstorm
Where: A friend’s home in Finchley
Why: A friend and I had just survived a bizarre accident and it was blissful to be alive and to say goodbye
+
should be painted!
TY and it could be a great painting if all the details are filled in. 🙂
Yes, Motherhood is a memory to be cherished — one I hope to experience one day. For me one of my memories in which I was not only happy, but felt I reached contentment was when my boyfriend and I were taking down our dried, hanging clothes from our rooftop terrace during Sunset in Roma.
Sounds wonderful already… and an image that takes me back to Italy too! 🙂
I resonate with you completely being a mother of 3 myself. Happiness is a state of mind, being in the present moment, aware of the beauty around you at all times. Appreciation of all that there is. Life defining moments such as the birth of children, marriage are more significant because we are reminded every day of their being. I love your work 🙂
Thank you so much and I appreciate your comment… I love your blog too. 🙂
So true. Happiness is something which comes from inside of a person. We can find it in doing small things. It was a really thought provoking post. Great work. 🙂
Thank you Arindam and I’ll be by to follow up on your posts… all blissful! 🙂
My happiness is my simple life…my wonderful husband of 43 years…my two sons…my three grandchildren…my friends/family and my cat Jill…People to me …is what happiness is all about…events second…
My happiest time: When Christ entered my heart…Sure Bliss!
Beautiful… TY for sharing your vision of how bliss fills your life. It is different for each of us in terms of the external influences… but on the inside, the feeling is same… bliss. TY! 🙂
Motherhood changed my live –permanently, irrevocably, beautifully. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ahhhh, same here and all for the better too. TY! 🙂
Being a mother is what made me want to make the world a better place. It was also the first time I experienced the bliss of unconditional love. Thanks for reminding me of the many ways bliss touches and transforms our lives!
TY and it is the same for me… Glad you found your way here as I updated the link that I emailed out and it lands on a blank page. 🙁 Nevertheless, I call these events a test of bliss in action! 🙂
My best time was going swimming in Sycamore Canyon with my people and some friends. Especially when somebody threw a stick in the water for me to chase. And any day on my trails with my person is pretty good too.
Sweet and that is a great example of bliss… joy and ease. TY! 🙂
The one defining moment when I am in a state of pure bliss? The first time myself became simply part of the universe.
Beautiful and profound… Now I’m thinking on that one… TY! 🙂
One moment of bliss…
Who: My daughter, son-in-law & family
What: Became a grandma
When: A very hot July day
Where: A KC hospital
Why: Our grandson arrived, and with him, came joy!
Amen to that… Love this prompt and should use it more… hopefully without the link glitch. 🙂
I agree with babyJill7 – happiness is simple… we are the ones making it difficult! We need to look harder for it.. not with our eyes, but with our heart! 😮 Beautiful post!
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blogpost! Greetings from 3rdCultureChildren
TY for stopping by too… Simple is correct. I agree! 🙂
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell
May your paths green under showers of bliss
And likewise Mira! TY so much for stopping by. 🙂
Sorry was absent for a while but you’ve to blame wordpress; had a problem receiving emails from blogs I follow; maybe you’ve noticed I re-followed recently
Now I’ll miss no more of your mind unless wordpress’s gone mad:(
Have a peaceful afternoon
Blessings to you too! TY! 🙂
Love the photo of the man on the rock with the dogs Elizabeth!
Me too… It really speaks of bliss… TY! 🙂
Kudos to you in finding your bliss! 🙂
TY for adding to it… 🙂
Very nice post. Bliss is definitely related to the spirits that I love, human, animal, and ether. My greatest happiness – the life I live. – DogDaz
TY! It would be lovely to live in that state all the time… I’m grateful for the moments. 🙂
Great post. Made me think of one “simple” moment in spring. I was sitting in
the backyard, the flowers were blooming, the birds were chirping; I felt that
I was in a kind of paradise.:)
Perfection! I added a cuppa of tea to your reverie… Merci! 🙂
I find my happiness in the simple things that I do in my life – waking up in the morning with my wife and son beside me, meeting new friends online, and in the “offline” world, eating my favorite food, listening to my favorite sounds, singing, walking in a park, being appreciated for the things I do as a nurse.
Nice post!
TY and those are all wonderful things to do that add to our joy! 🙂
I enjoyed this. I’m having a difficult time picking just one blissful moment. I will have to think about this one.
😆 Got it! 🙂
I am most blissful at Walt Disney World when I’m sitting on the park bench with my husband and looking out over the lake. It doesn’t get any better than that.
I can imagine how wonderful that must be TY! 🙂
I was blessed to be presented with this Joseph Campbell quote about following my bliss many decades ago. I have made mistakes, I have stumbled–but those episodes are making some of the most useful parts of my current writing and the parts which seem to help others the most!
Ditto. You speak to some of my experiences too. TY! We’ve come full circle and I’m grateful for the ups and downs… Growth resides thee. 🙂
Beautiful entry my friend ,great inspiration of Peace nice work 🙂
TY Jake… You’re the best! 🙂
Thought I would give it a try –
Who: Family and friends
What: HIgh school
When: Summer Days
Where: Germany
Why: I thought things would never change
Excellent. I love yours too! 🙂
Sitting around campfires in the African and Australian bush, sleeping under the millions and millions of stars in the Sinai desert, my wedding day, scuba diving in calm, clear water off the African, Australian, Egyptian and Jamaican coasts, playing golf anywhere with my husband, laughing with family and friends, and reading 😀 all pure bliss
All delightful and wonderful memories… Love them! 🙂
My most recent moment would probably be:
Who: My family and I
What: Arrival of my husband and children in Australia
When: Late one cold winter night
Where: Melbourne International Airport
Why: To start our new life together!!!
Brilliant and I have followed your journey since… TY! 🙂
Oh, bliss comes when I can actually open my edit page, work on a post and finally, post it without any major computer/internet problems.
I hear you… It’s been a hectic week for me and I now have to seriously focus on catching up as the emails have grown… TY! 🙂
Beautiful shots, all! Thanks so much for sharing!
anne
Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Motherhood is such a blissful thing, isn’t it! Though it tests me at times, I am so grateful for the joy it has brought me.
It is both blissful and challenging YES! 🙂