As I was reading something somewheres, I made a mental note of a phrase that’s been sitting inside my head for quite sometime now: the six spokes of bliss. It’s from a book I’ve yet to read but in a synopsis it outlines the areas in our lives that ‘ought’ to be satisfied so that we have a pretty good foundation for attaining that ever-elusive feeling of happiness. In no particular order, these are: spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, physical, and intellectual.
I’d say we can go on and on with tips and whatnots on what can be done to find satisfaction in these areas; by all means, knock on my door and let’s you and me take these words for a spin while we nurse a bottle, or four. While I’ve yet to read its entire premise, I’d say, I don’t believe there is one person in this world who’s filled up all six tanks.
We are, being creatures of our kind, almost always in the eternal chase of making life worth living–because by golly, no one’s coined the phrase In The Pursuit Of Unhappiness, and lived another day to tell the tale. We are beings who run after missed deadlines and our dreams, after prayers unanswered and people and the past, that shortest checkout line and the fastest elevator ride that’ll bring us to the topmost floor, that next instant, that momentous sliver of time which would fill us with hope, love and everything else that makes us feel all buttered up inside.
Perhaps it’s more a cycle between them tanks: emotional happiness oh-yes, financial happiness, not-so. And because it is cyclical, then no sane person can be in a state of eternal bliss, least of all those who claim they are #seriouslyiamsoblessedinallofmyawesomelife within their unforgetdebatable Facebook post. And inasmuch as it can often feel frustrating to be in this cycle, I guess it’s what counts as the human experience, to be in a juncture of time, when it’s okay to feel alive. Just okay. To live and breathe just another typical day, to be same old same old, to be a little achy on the side, to feel disappointment, to know that we aren’t uppity at the moment but we need to plod on, never mind if we can’t post anything Insta-worthy today.
So what if I don’t have all six filled up? I had a pricey burger the other day and I gobbled it up so fast after not having an appetite for so long. I will go to bed in a few and will prob’ly sleep for maybe less than the 8-hour requirement but my kids are tucked in bed, plump from today’s meal. My arm feels ever so tired but my paintbrushes wait excitedly for my comeback. I have a ton of paperwork I need to attend to but these days, I’m more excited than I am worried.
My life isn’t perfect but hello there, human race! I am back. I’m back to where nothing is 100% divine–but then hey today I realize I’m okay with that.
***
Pictured: L taking my photo
Finally Dee 