"The secret to happiness is die-jesting"

It was not my intention to make this blog a sales pitch for products of any kind nor was it my intention to talk about what's going on in my life presently. As the original purpose of this blog is just to share funny quotes that I have said or that have been said to me through the years. But I have been reading a good book lately ( I usually read several at a time), this one is called "Duck Soup for the Soul: The Way to Living Louder and Laughing Longer" by Swami Beyondananda. Here's a brief passage of where that quote originated from :

" I could contain myself no longer. 'Oh, Garment Centered One,' I blurted out, 'what is the secret of happiness?'

'Digesting,' he said, his mouth full, barely looking up from the plate.

'That's it? Just sitting here and eating food is the secret of happiness?' I asked, greatly disappointed.

'Who said anything about food?' he replied. 'I said the secret of happiness is die-jesting. We all gotta die someday, so we might as well die jesting. And since you never really know when the grin reaper may show up, I suggest you start jesting now."

lol I"m smiling now as I type this. If that passage doesn't leave a smile on the person's face then obviously there's something wrong there. I don't think I have ever come across a phrase that sums up so perfectly how I see life should be like. More specifically, my life.

Everyone wants to be happy in life. There's no arguing that. However, I believe that very few know how to laugh at themselves. Contrary to popular beliefs, I am still a human being. So of course I have my moments and days there I forget to die-jest, if you will. But then I usually am back to my happy go attitude shortly after.

I have this book called "14,000 To Be Happy About", and it's not really a book per se it's more like a collection/lists of some of the most random things you could think of like "ice cream", "paper clips", "keys". I wouldn't go as far as to say that reading that makes me happy, but it does bring a smile to my face nevertheless. And I do think that I try to approach my life and the things that happen in it with the same kind of silly off the wall take on it. To some I may come off as too silly and irrational (although I do think I may be one of the most rational people you'll come across). I think it's alot like politics, I once read that the problems with politics is that you're right but no one knows it. Well the problem with life is that it's your joke but not everyone gets the punchline.

I say the hell with it all! If I were sitting at a round table with a group of people right now I'd make a toast to die-jesting. Bon appetit!

"You're not going to end up alone. And you, yourself don't really believe that."

A gentleman once said this to me after I had told him I didn't want to end up old and alone. I do not remember why this came up, for this is just one of those quotes that I had randomly plucked out from my stash.

I read a postcard from PostSecret (For those of you who aren't familiar with it, you can check out PostSecet on Amazon or go to their website at http://postsecret.blogspot.com/) Anyway, one of the postcards said "I'm afraid I"ll end up alone. Because I don't want to settle in order not to be" or something to that effect. I don't know what to make of that post card, or what this particular gentleman had said to me.

I was once told that to most people I could be considered difficult even impossible, but to others I may come off very easy. I like to believe that like attracts like. Of course you can argue that if you put a bunch of difficult people in a room together will they all get along? I think there's more to it. I think it has little to do with how difficult or easy going a person may be,and more to do with whom they're in the company of.

There are lots of people out there who would do anything in order not to be alone. And then there are those who are just too difficult or picky to be with anyone. Greta Garbo's infamous line "I want to be alone" (She later claimed she said "I want to be let alone") - sort of paved the way for her through her old age. One of the world's greatest actress spent her days in seclusion. Is this sad? Yes, I do think it's profoundly sad. Was she sad? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

People are never going to admit that they want to be alone. No one wants that. We all want to be happy, loved and cared for. However, the fact remains that there are many people who ARE alone. And my only explanation for that is that they chose to be. There's a saying that a person would rather be alone than to be with bad company. I've been fortunate to not have many "bad company", in fact 95% of the people that I have crossed paths with thus far happen to be very pleasant. I'm not at the point in my life where I'm looking for a life partner, maybe I should just to get a head start? lol Who knows.

But I often hear people say that one should never settle. I wonder if people have their guidelines and limits drawn out to let them know when and if they're settling. Once again I believe like attracts like. Then again I think it just boils down to whether or not you're happy.

There are those who aren't alone and unhappy, and then there are those who are alone and happy. It goes without saying, that the worse off are the ones who are alone and unhappy. And lets not even mention the mofos who are not alone and happy!
(What the heck did I just say!!? If you read it very slowly, it makes sense! I swear!)

By the way, the gentleman's right. I don't believe that I'll end up alone. Ask me in 30 years if I'm happy. The odds are, I will be...