I though of making a list... heck I made on and thought I published it! LOL

Then I thought I would tell you what makes me happiest....  THen I thought what is happiness really?  Who better to ask than wikipedia.com

According to Wikipedia:

"Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.^[1] A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources.

Philosophers and religious thinkers have often defined happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. Happiness in this older sense was used to translate the Greek Eudaimonia, and is still used in virtue ethics. In everyday speech today, however, terms such as well-being or quality of life are usually used to signify the classical meaning, and happiness is reserved^{[citation needed]} for the felt experience or experiences that philosophers historically called pleasure.

Happiness forms a central theme of Buddhist teachings, which focuses on obtaining freedom from suffering by following the Eightfold Path. In the Buddhist view, ultimate happiness is only achieved by overcoming craving in all forms. Aristotle saw happiness as "the virtuous activity of the soul in accordance with reason," or the practice of virtue. In Catholicism, the ultimate end of human existence consists in felicity, or "blessed happiness", described by the thirteenth-century philosopher-theologian Thomas Aquinas as a Beatific Vision of God's essence in the next life.^[2] One psychological approach, positive psychology, describes happiness as consisting of positive emotions and positive activities. In most religions, happiness is the eternal reward for those who meet certain criteria.^{[citation needed]}

While direct measurement of happiness is difficult, tools such as The Oxford Happiness Inventory have been developed by researchers. Physiological correlates to happiness can be measured through a variety of techniques, and survey research can be based on self-reported happiness levels.

Research has identified a number of correlates with happiness. These include religious involvement, parenthood, marital status, age, income and proximity to other happy people. Happiness economics suggests that measures of public happiness should be used to supplement more traditional economic measures when evaluating the success of public policy."

So, what does happiness mean to me? I'll let you know when I'm not happy

Happy Tuesday!

--Trina

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I like to think that my guardian angels are watching over me in my worst moments.

In 1997, on the way to take my first car to it's first classic car show, I was in a dreadful accident.  To make the story short, I was 17 and had my sisters in the car with me.  As the inexperienced driver that I was, I thought I was waved on to make a turn - the driver in the dump truck that was blocking my view of the oncoming traffic I was trying to turn through was actually telling me to go first... not to go.

I pulled out in front of a pretty large diesel truck towing a back hoe and spun out into a van.  The truck went into a field and flipped 3 times.

My dear little sisters got the brunt of the impact.  Thank GOD they were fidgeting with the radio and were both leaning toward the center of the car.

I think in the moment of the impact life stopped.  We were smashed by the truck, spun into van loaded with people, and then smashed by the airbags.

Everyone was fairly ok except my baby sister.  She had the word "MAC" on her forehead it seemed.  She was 7 years old and had a dislocated hip, severe concussion, bruised lungs, and cuts from the glass that shattered all over her.

I know that angels were watching and helped us that day.

Now, 12 years later, we are all just fine.  I think we are all a little more cautious but that's the nature of these things right?

--Trina

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What am I grateful for?

I like to keep things simple, but this question beckons an answer longer than I could possibly write.  There are so many things that I am grateful for that to make a list would be almost pointless... I'd have to be grateful for the list! LOL

Oh well... here's my list:

• I'm alive
• My family
• My Friends
• My job - having a job now-a-days is something to cherish
• My bills are paid
• My sister is graduating
• My sister is so headstrong I'm writing warning letters to the colleges she's applying for (should I be grateful for that?) I've been told she and I are like two peas in a pod
• My brother just turned 21 (safely)
• I'm going to be an Aunt
• My other Brother has an awesome Girl friend (she suits him perfectly)
• I have access to High Speed internet
• I live on a farm
• I have wolves
• My mutt is better behaved than the wolves
• My flowers are growing
• That we have a Dignified President now
• That I have gotten a Black Belt in Aikido
• That my family practiced the martial arts with me
• That we are all happy and healthy (except the sister-in-law about to POP a baby anyway - she's not too happy right now)
• That I live on the Delmarva Peninsula (But I come here, I'm not from here)

I could go on... but by the time I finish It'll be next week!

Happy Tuesday!

--Trina

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