For me, the happiness on the far side of grief always begins with my walks in nature. It is not easy to stay down in the dumps for very long when you are out witnessing the rebirth that happens every day. Physical activity is always a great help when you need a lift in spirit - walking, backpacking, riding a mountain bike, even dancing, are all good ways to drive out the blues.
I head out with an open mind and heart on my walks and backpack trips. The beauty and discoveries I come across seem new, such as the Kingfisher calling as it dives from its perch to fly downriver, the leaves falling from the gold yellow cottonwood - some twirling in circles, other dropping straight down.
I am often disappointed when I take others with me, that they don't see the beauty as I do. What I learned about this is that interaction with nature is often a very personal thing, that is experienced to the fullest when alone.
People just don't have the same ability to see the simple wonders of each day, perhaps because we have varying thresholds for happiness. I find I am the most content when I require less and less to be happy - the walks with my dogs, a bicycle ride, a saturday dance, a bus ride where I have time to read, or listen to music.
Of course my life would not be the same without my border collies, who like other pets live so much in the present that they draw us into doing the same.
About the time my wife of 26 years broke my heart by telling me she wanted to end our marriage, I drove to New Mexico and purchased a six week old border collie puppie. Watching that little girl pup play with my old dog Bud, filling the end of his life with a puppie's joy, was a profound lesson in renewal.
I remember how she was fascinated when I turned my garden in March, and quickly figured out that she could help. Little Maggie worked furiously beside me, churning up the soil with her front paws. She would stop and look up at me with that one blue and one brown eye, trying to figure out if she was doing good, looking for my approval. I told her she that she was a good dog for trying to help Dad so much.
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