Staying Happy

[Tekward]

Good reminder:

"The real key to happiness at every age and stage—particularly old age—is not material things, but gratitude for life’s simple blessings, such as laughter among friends or watching a sunset with a loved one, said Lehmann, the Johns Hopkins doctor. “It’s the small things in life that end up mattering most of all.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-secret-to-chronic-happiness-as-you-age_3019233.html

 

[street]

Material things in life have never made me happy very long. I can't agree more what makes me happy is the little things in life. The outdoors and the beauty around me is what I look forward to and makes me happier then any earthly material.

 

[Dtail]

Yeah as one ages and is retired, these kinds of thoughts are more prevalent.
The career game is over and in a more relaxed mode, one smells the roses more frequently.

 

[pacergal]

Yes, love and laughter, that's the key for me. Not sure who wrote this, but I found it here on the forum once:

"There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy.
Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living".

 

[Rianne]

"There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy.
Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living".

That says it all.

 

[unclemick]

Being 'poor' sucks. Having 'enough' ala the late Mr B is much better. Happiness is irrelevant.

As to 'Life,Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness'. I like to practice catch and release.

heh heh heh - as a left handed INTJ, whining, bitching and moaning can be good clean fun. Not to mention adding credit toward toward your Curmudgeon Certificate. Once FI they can't fire you.

So?? Can grumpy Curmudgeonism be a left handed form of happiness?? As long as you don't take yourself too serious?

 

[bloom2708]

Happiness = Health as you age.

I am close to 50. Everyone in my family in their 60s and 70s are unhealthy and miserable. They eat too much. Doctor appointments and pills take all the time.

Nothing is more important than health.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Money may not make you happy but it can help you decide your level of misery.

 

[Winemaker]

I'm happy because I married my best friend 36+ years ago.

 

[erkevin]

My philosophy is to not worry too much about "happiness"- it is an awfully high emotional bar to reach and remain at. I find "contentment" is the place to be (for me).

 

[Spock]

Pretty sunsets, Mountain (or unobstructed prairie) views, make me happy.
Money (a material thing) makes be comfortable/at ease/confident of where my next meal is coming from.
While I'll still enjoy a pretty sunset, its not the same if my belly is trying to digest my backbone.
It takes both.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Experience over things, except for maybe my new robotic floor mopper. That thing is amazing and has made me really happy.

 

[Amethyst]

If this is true, then why are most of the people on the most expensive tours and cruises really old? Shouldn't they be home enjoying sunsets, etc.?

 

[W2R]

My philosophy is to not worry too much about "happiness"- it is an awfully high emotional bar to reach and remain at. I find "contentment" is the place to be (for me).

That's where I'm at, too, most of the time. Well, unless the Dow is soaring to all time highs. Then I'm happy as well.

 

[NW-Bound]

If this is true, then why are most of the people on the most expensive tours and cruises really old? Shouldn't they be home enjoying sunsets, etc.?

The expensive tours and cruises may not make them that much happier. It's just their last attempt to blow some dough.

 

[RobbieB]

See what happens when you don't blow enough dough early?

 

[NW-Bound]

Right.

And then, there are people who become the subject of the concurrent thread "Plight of Older People", who might have blown too much.

 

[robnplunder]

I was a slave to the material world but have been recovering from it in my ER. I am happy now, something I am not very used to.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I was a slave to the material world but have been recovering from it in my ER. I am happy now, something I am not very used to.

I feel like I am a recovering consumer, exposed to decades of advertising since childhood. We're really trying to declutter now and limit what we buy new to really useful items, and even then we buy used where we can. We like to go often and I keep a spreadsheet of all our events, a fun rating and total cost. The best experiences in life for us may not all be free but for us most are $0 - $50. There's a big choice of museums, gardens, plays, concerts, parks, etc. where we live for $25 or less per person for a ticket or admission fee.

 

[Amethyst]

You're demonstrating the independent ER spirit. Even though I would only have been 9 or 10, I can still remember a lesson we had in sixth grade about how advertisers try to influence you. I learned early to be suspicious of the implied peer pressure that backs up every scrap of advertising (people will/won't think well of you, based on what you buy). It can be hard to resist, when it seems as if everyone around you has fallen for the con and is judging you by what you chose to buy.

QUOTE=daylatedollarshort;2333621]I feel like I am a recovering consumer, exposed to decades of advertising since childhood. We're really trying to declutter now and limit what we buy new to really useful items, and even then we buy used where we can. .[/QUOTE]

 

[robnplunder]

I feel like I am a recovering consumer, exposed to decades of advertising since childhood. We're really trying to declutter now and limit what we buy new to really useful items, and even then we buy used where we can. We like to go often and I keep a spreadsheet of all our events, a fun rating and total cost. The best experiences in life for us may not all be free but for us most are $0 - $50. There's a big choice of museums, gardens, plays, concerts, parks, etc. where we live for $25 or less per person for a ticket or admission fee.

I try to count all the chemical products I have at home. I stopped counting at 50. There are 5 just for dryer and washer. Another 2 for dishwasher. 10+ different products specific to cleaning - one for silverware, another for kitchen cabinet, windex, ..... The thing is, years ago, an average household could get by with just a few. E.g., Growing up, I used soap as we had no shampoo or conditioner. We used another type of soap for washing clothes. These days, I try to do my best to live with "least" to avoid adding things to the dumpster.

 

[hausfrau]

Right.

And then, there are people who become the subject of the concurrent thread "Plight of Older People", who might have blown too much.

They don't look that old to me! I think they've just had a tough life.

 

[hausfrau]

Material things in life have never made me happy very long. I can't agree more what makes me happy is the little things in life. The outdoors and the beauty around me is what I look forward to and makes me happier then any earthly material.

Our house isn't that big. It can only hold so much. If I want something, I just think "Where would I put/store this?" That said, we are thinking about getting a boat and keeping it at a marina. Time to blow some dough!

 

[DrRoy]

Pretty sunsets, Mountain (or unobstructed prairie) views, make me happy.
Money (a material thing) makes be comfortable/at ease/confident of where my next meal is coming from.

+1. Or sunrises.
.

 

[ckelly78z]

Happiness for me is contentment with what/who you have. I love my wife of 31 years, and can't imagine starting over. We have lived on our 10 acre farm for 25 years now, and hope to be here another 25 years. I like being grounded and humble, with decent income/investments. Living a frugal lifestyle gives you opportunity to appreciate a splurge moment now and then like our upcoming trip back to Sandals South Coast Jamaica for the third time