17.0816-0800 Happy
@25.0919-0855.31 by Atx
Dear Marla,
"Thalia, are you happy with your life now?' Asked Lorraine this morning, quite unexpectedly.
My words stumbled. "I don't know. Yes, I think am. Sometimes I wonder, though. 'Is this all a dream' or ist it the real deal?"
Lorraine continued. "Back when I first moved to the Hahnestary and began to deal with the isolation, there were times when I was most definately not happy. I've always been inroverted, but nothing prepared me for this."
"Are you happy with your life now?" I asked.
"Oh, I am. Most of the time. Happiness has lots of ups and downs. I think I've learned how to flatten that curve out a bit." She said.
James broke into the coversation. "I think it was Aristotle who said 'happiness comes from the pursuit of excellence'."
"What does that mean? It sounds like he saying everyone should be a perfectionist." I asked.
He looked at Lorraine for an instant and then back to me. "I can sum it up in just three words: 'pursue a goal'. The bigger the better.
"Do you mean a goal such as losing 10 pounds of my fat by my birthday?" I asked.
"No, not quite like that. It means something that you can pour your passion into. Lorraine and I pour our passion into the books we are writing. We also have our crafts. I suspect you do this with your housekeeping."
Then, for effect, he 'loudly whispered' to me (so that Lorraine could hear), "Oh, yes! We've noticed how well you take care of the house, Thalia. We are so fortunate to have you both as housekeeper and a friend." Then he giggled. "We also like all of your weirdness. You are a breath of fresh air."
Then his face turned serious. "Do you understand what your big goal is?"
"Ok, that's easy. My goal is for this house to sparkle and run like clockwork."
He scunched heis face up briefly. "Think about that. Is the condition of this house really your 'Holy Grail' or is there something more? Is there a bigger mountain to climb in the picture?"
"I'm climbing a mountain? OK. I had never thought of Life in that way."
Lorraine broke in. "Thalia, what are you doing when you are trying to make the house 'sparkle'?"
"I am trying to make it look good? Is this a 'trick' question?"
She continued. "What goal is bigger than the house or even your job?"
James said "I'll give you a one word hint: Maslow!"
"Oh, I remember him from college. He's the guy that talks about a pyramid shape showing levels of human need, right?"
"Yes. Food, clothing and shelter were at the bottom of the hierarchy. Do you remember what was at the top?" Asked Lorraine.
"Was it 'self-actualization'? I never understood what that means."
It was Lorraine's turn. "Years ago, the US Army had a recruiting slogan of 'Be all you can be!' Do you remember it? That phrase very succinctly explains the whole idea of self-actualization. You become all that you can be. This is the essence of life. It's the 'holy grail' that is hard-wired into humans as well as other animals and plants as survival mechanisms."
"Other animals and even plants? What do you mean?"
Lorraine replied. "Think about it. What is something that we all do? We grow. We all learn about our environment and how to react to it. We squeeze a tiny bit of wisdom from every experience. Or we perish. It's how we survive. We become all we can be. It is The Goal.
Of course, it's evident that humans and, perhaps, other greater mammals, have vastly