Self-growth

How to Stay Happy When Our World is Suffering

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I am finishing up this post which I started a few days ago in the year of 2025. Now that we are officially into 2026, I must seriously think about how I can have a good year by making a supreme effort to stay positive by choosing happiness as my primary goal. Therefore, the first thing I will do is wish everyone a “Happy New Year” and mean it.

Staying happy these days is a huge battle facing humanity, and it won’t get better until we can define what it truly means for ourselves and how we can attain it. This is a question many of us are asking when we are witnessing so much suffering in our world? I know it’s a difficult concept to accept, but I also know we musn’t give up the hope that we can find happiness if we can change our thoughts about what happiness is and what we need to do to find it. Of course, many will argue that when we hear and see what is happening around the world, then what hope can we have that it’s possible to find any happiness anymore? Some of us are already giving up and believing we are doomed. They believe we will not be able to change our thinking and embrace the new world that some enlightened people are envisioning quickly enough to save ourselves.

I think it is possible to save ourselves if we can change how and what we choose to think about. However, we need to be prepared to take this seriously by taking the time to find out more about how to do this and then dedicating time practicing it. It requires some inner work which may prompt one to ask how can we find the time to sit still, meditate, or take courses being offered these days online, all focused on how to quiet our overloaded minds? With the way things are going, we are already finding our lives being stretched to the limit trying to keep pace with the changes happening around us. Some are feeling threatened of losing their jobs, for their safety as our crime rate rises, their health due to our failing health care system, and, finally, the demise of some of the outdated beliefs we were brought up on. All such concerns can then lead to more of us experiencing extreme stress which can often lead to depression, physical illness, and yes, crime.

In 2015 I wrote a blog entitled “A Moment of Happiness” on the topic of cherishing those fleeting moments of happiness we might have experienced in our lives. Back then, I didn’t believe that I could ever achieve a permanent state of happiness. Only gurus and special people devoted to a spiritual calling could ever be happy all the time. Having always been a person who has been attracted to more than a conventional life, such as I was brought up in, I have taken courses and worked on myself to become that ‘better person’. I totally believe that it’s our thinking or mind that holds us back and keeps us stuck in the familiar way of living rather than embracing the new. Let’s face the truth, we humans are simply not good at embracing change. I thought I was getting better at making changes but when I went back and read the post I wrote over ten years ago, I realized I have more work to do. Lately, I’ve been finding it difficult to accept the many changes facing us today, especially in the field of technology and the way we are being forced to communicate to one another. I find myself wanting to keep doing what is familiar because it helps me feel more successful at what I do. However, I know that taking on something new, which can stimulate my creativity rather than my mind, is the route to take. If I keep doing what I’ve always done, I will get stuck, which I know brings on negative thinking because when I let that happen, I often feel depressed. However, I can manage to change my thinking with a good talking to my “self” to change whatever I was thinking about. One of the best tools I use is to take a quick walk down to my garden or to the beach which is near where I live. Breaking my state of mind is a great way to banish my negative thoughts which are often bound to pop up far too much at times if I let them.

I am being reminded of another much broader way to look at what is happening in our world these days which has given me some hope. Have you ever heard about how we are moving upward from the third dimension to the fifth dimension? To understand this concept think for a moment about the Broadway hit “The Age of Aquarius,” which addressed this new age we were entering back then in the late ’90’s. This was a time of rapid change when young people in America hit the streets in protest of what was going on with governments allowing ridiculous wars such as Viet Nam to take so many lives, young people hoping to find a better place with the help of drugs, and those with grudges to assassinate those in power. This feeling of unrest spread to other countries as the people woke up to the fact that the old way was not working. It was time for change. Since change is hard for many, such as our leaders and those in power, it is slow to happen and things get progressively worse to the point where it almost seems hopeless to idealists that it will ever happen.

Well the good news is that it is now happening and moving more quickly, but not all people are going in the right direction. We are at a precipice where we have the pros and the cons about who is right or wrong making us seemingly more divided than ever. However, there is hope. Futurists, psychics, astrologers, healers, and many others are awakening. They are predicting that by the year 2032, most earthlings will have entered the fifth dimension with some going even further into the sixth and seventh. At present, there are still many of us who are stuck in the Piscean Age or the third dimension where we have been for centuries. If all these forward-looking people are right, this is certainly good news. Maybe I will still be here in 2032 to have the opportunity to witness the change. My hope is that my one and only grandson will reach the fifth and be a part of this New World. However, until this happens, our years until then are going to demand that we make big changes within ourselves to be ready for the changes ahead of us. For instance, there will be such challenges as our changing climate, a huge migration of homeless people, more wars and disputes from those who haven’t risen to the fifth dimension and continue to dominate and make trouble. The changes needed to make this new world aren’t going to happen quietly and easily overnight. We will have huge challenges to face for sure.

However, if we listen to the people who know and understand this, there can be a new world where we will be living a life fueled by love and kindness rather than fear and hate. The old order of large governments, cities and dictators will have gone the way of the dodo. It will indeed be a New World. Again, this is nothing new as great leaders, writers and enlightened souls in the past have written about this. I still remember how Plato’s Republic grabbed my attention in high school. It also explains why I enjoyed living and working on a kibbutz in Israel years ago as a volunteer. The kibbutz was a good example of people working together for a common good which did not follow the rules of communism.

I was recently listening on YouTube to a lady by the name of Diana Cooper who speaks and writes about the dimensions as well as the existence of angels. Since she was a child, she sensed other personalities were around her urging her to devote her life to spreading to others what she was learning by listening to their messages. Now her vocation as a senior adult in England is to follow the messages she has gotten from her angels so that today she has forged a successful career for herself by passing on her experience and knowledge about the world outside of ours here on Earth.

She firmly believes we must take the time to stop and listen to them through prayer or meditation. We all have angels up there as they may be our relatives, loved ones, or just old souls who stay up there in the nether world (or heaven or whatever you wish to call it) to be guides to those of us still here on Earth. I have heard about this but have never taken it seriously. After listening to her, I think I should. Now it doesn’t necessarily have to be angels, it could be God (if you believe there is such a person or thing), Buddha or any entity who has passed on to the nether world. All we must do is believe there is a greater source beyond our physical body out there where eventually we will be going, who is guiding us or at least trying to if we can accept such an idea. Perhaps for some of us, it is easier to understand if we think of this as a soul which could be a deceased relative or spouse trying to keep in touch with us. This is my attempt to understand the importance of a world outside of what I see and live while I am here on Earth. If you are really interested in learning more about this, you might want to go to Diana’s website at dianacooper.com where she explains so much better than I can about what dimensions, angels, past lives and old souls are. Once we open our minds to this, I truly believe that it will give us more hope and a promise to make the most of ourselves and our talents. I think that the actual word or words I need to use is to first learn to love and accept our “self” and once we do that, it will be easier to love others. Then, when we do that, we need to understand that this energy will go beyond and help our whole world. How many people and how many ways has this been said for centuries? The person who immediately comes to my mind is Carl Jung, a brilliant psychologist. Then there is Edgar Casey, an American psychic who predicted many events that have already taken place.

There have been many advanced souls or seers, but we need many more. We are at a turning point as far as I can see. If we don’t give up our fears and replace them with love, then I can’t help but believe we will possibly annihilate ourselves. There is no going back to our old way of thinking and acting. We must keep moving forward and not give up the battle.

Facing Hard Work

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What a person considers as hard work means different things to different people. Hard work for me is having to face the challenges that my computer and cell phone give me. Why I say this is because they demand too much of my time trying to figure out how to deal with the latest changes being made, such as deleting unwanted emails trying to sell me something I don’t want, having to deal with changing my password because someone was trying to scam me, trying to figure out instructions Google gives to make changes to suit them, and finally the worst one of all is the help that the chat box wants to give me. I don’t trust them since I used one that tried to lure me into signing up for a membership which cost me money. I got it back, but it took time to contact my bank to have it cancelled. This was stressful and what I consider hard work.

I am over the age hill when it comes to all the stuff going on in our new world of technology. It’s coming to the point where I can easily spend the better part of a day dealing with it all, which stresses me out. I can’t do those things that give me satisfaction instead of grief. However, knowing it’s something I can’t avoid, I grit my teeth and tackle them hoping for the best. I have discovered that in the end, most things work out in my favour, but getting there is always scary and a battle for me.

When I get my bills paid or find the information I need, I feel a great deal of satisfaction. I can at last breathe a sigh of relief and set my sights on doing something I enjoy which is often usually something physical like tending to my vegetable garden or going for a walk. Everything does happen for a reason, I guess. I can’t give up no matter how difficult that may be.

Climate Change Is My Greatest Concern

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We are now facing a pivotal point in the direction we must take to deal with our changing climate. The decisions we make from here on will determine our future as inhabitants of this planet Earth. Huge changes will be needed in our way of thinking and lifestyle. The crux of the problem is whether or not we have the courage to make the required changes and if so is there enough time to figure out what we need to do? These are ominous questions that most of us don’t even want to think about let alone do anything about.

Unfortunately, most of us are living with the hope that some miracle will happen. This is great if one believes in miracles but we will have to somehow create those miracles. We can’t idly stand by and do nothing. If we don’t believe in hope and miracles as a solution for dealing with climate change, then why not take the time we have left and make the most of it? Why not live life each day as though it’s our last! I don’t know about you dear reader, but I find that difficult to do. How can I close my eyes and ears to what is happening in our world knowing we humans are the cause of our numerous problems which includes climate change. Should we not take on the responsibility for at least trying to correct some of the wrongs we have made?

The greatest concern facing me as I write about climate change is to figure out how I can live a satisfying life for as long as I am on this planet and at the same time do things that will benefit it? I have concluded that writing blog posts on the subject isn’t enough. It’s time for me to think seriously about what I can change in my life today that will benefit the world. This is the most difficult part because it will require a significant change in my thinking and actions. Sacrifices will have to be made. What will they be and how far can I take them?

I have been concerned about our changing climate for years. It all began while living in Oakville, a lovely town on the outskirts of Toronto on Lake Ontario. Every summer we would be faced with a heat wave lasting for a few weeks which would sap our energy and bombard us with a stench emanating from the sewage leaking into the lake. Consequently, several years later after moving to the small village of Victoria Beach in Nova Scotia, I was confronted with huge logging trucks that would come barrelling down our narrow road on their way to the mills where their logs were milled for paper and firewood to be shipped over to Europe as a source of heat for their furnaces. One day I decided to go up to the mountain where the trucks were coming from and was shocked to see the devastation the loggers left behind. It literally looked like a war zone. I immediately sent a letter to our provincial Minister of Forestry only to receive a reply stating what a great job he and his department were doing by developing this source of fuel as a way to heat homes in the European market.

It was around this time while I was searching for a way to make some money so I could travel to far-off places in my retirement days. At that time, my husband and I decided to spend part of our winter in Thailand. We did this trip in 2008 and I was totally besotted with the beauty and the culture of this part of our world vowing to return again….and again! By 2012 after visiting other SE Asian countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam, the piles of garbage and the quality of the air were much more visible than anything I had ever experienced in Canada. Since most of my time has been spent in Chiang Mai, I have written numerous posts on the subject of climate change precipitated by the quality of their air which seems to worsen every year. Below are some of them if you want to read more about what I have witnessed over the years.

Waking Up to the Effects of Climate Change

A Parade for the Pollution Problem in Chiang Mai

My concern for the effects of climate change isn’t limited to what I’ve witnessed in Chiang Mai. I had a taste of it while visiting Luang Prabang in Laos and on my visits to Cambodia. While in Laos I experienced a cold spell which took me completely by surprise. The temperature fell down to almost freezing. At night I had to sleep with all the clothes I had taken with me to keep warm. During the day I would go to the spas for a hot steam bath. Little did I know that such temperatures were becoming more common in this country where it’s usually hot and humid.

As for Cambodia, I wasn’t surprised to discover that their main concern is for the rising level of their water sources. In the northern part of the country, they have the enormous Tonlee Sap (one of the world’s largest lakes) where the livelihood of the fishermen is being devastated by the rising water levels. Granted the blame can be put upon China for using Cambodia’s river and lake system as a cheap source for their electrical needs. However, much can be blamed on the war and the attempted genocide of their population during the Vietnam War which caused a massive loss of not just their people but also their forests. Messing with Mother Nature has taken its toll in Cambodia and will continue to do so unless there is a change in how the country is governed.

If we take the time to go back into the history of Cambodia, we will discover that the once flourishing Angkor civilization was wiped out by flooding and a money system constructed by the people that impoverished their livelihoods and contributed to their demise. I would suggest that the ‘powers that be’ in Cambodia take a look at their history, learn from it, and not repeat it.

I don’t think I would be far off from the truth of why our world is in such a mess and how important it is for us to accept responsibility for this by admitting that we have made mistakes that we should at least try to rectify. Just think of the outcome if we could all pull together and put our concern for climate change at the top of our list of things we need to change. However, how is it possible to do something as radical as this? I believe that we could but….yes, there is that ‘but’, we need to start with ourselves and ask”What can I do that will be of some benefit”? The key is to start small. For example, I can go so far as to wash out plastice bags and containers to use for future use instead of buying cheap ones at the dollar store. I always carry a small cloth bag with me which I will haul out at the grocery store for my food items. It takes some time and organizing but in the long run it’s worth it.

These little things can take time, I agree. And since time is a commodity we never seem to have enough of all I can say is to do as much as you can. Some days you will be more willing than others. It’s really all about changing our mindset. Positive actions and thoughts will never be a waste of time. Everything in our lives is energy so why not try to keep that energy on a positive track and spread it around to the people and the environment around you? How is that going to help us deal with our changing climate you may ask? Simply keeping the chemicals in plastics out of our water, soil and air is a first step for the environment. For those people we come in contact with, a smile can work wonders.

We must begin with ourselves no matter how trivial or inconsequential our actions may seem. I would suggest that this is where we need to take some time to go back into our own history and start there. The best way to do that is to each and every day find at least one thing we have in our life to be thankful for. The more things we can think of the better. When things go wrong we don’t panic or give up, but get back up and try again. If we go back to the history books and learn about those who made a difference in the world for the better, we find that this is how they accomplished what they were destined to do. It’s the best advice we could ever get. There is absolutely no benefit to simply blaming and complaining about the things we don’t like. I have been learning this valuable lesson over the years and am still learning it. It’s a never-ending process. I am the first to admit that learning how to control my overactive mind is one of the most difficult things to do but the most necessary. We must acknowledge that fear is our enemy because if we don’t it can kill us.

On that note, I am going to leave you with this beautiful quotation: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” Anon.

Here is another one that hit home for me: “You can change everything from within yourself no matter how chaotic the world around.“

The Key to a Successful Life

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“You have to know where you came from before you know where you are going.

This week I listened to an interview on CBC (the Canadian Broadcast Corporation) with one of the founders of Peace by Chocolate a successful chocolate-making company in Nova Scotia. The conversation was about the rebel uprising in Syria and its future now that Bashir Assad, the heinous dictator who has left this beautiful country in ruins and murdered millions of its people. He has escaped to Russia the only country that would protect such a person. As the interview was nearing its end, Tareq Hadhad, whose father was a famous chocolate maker in the city of Damascus had his factory completely demolished by Assad’s thugs in 2012. Tareq’s father and other family members fled to Lebanon for three years where they lived in a refugee camp until they were finally invited to come to Canada under the sponsorship of a dedicated group from the small town of Antigonish in Nova Scotia. As the conversation came to a close, Tareq shared with us the quotation at the top of this post given to him and the Hadhad family by his grandmother. To find out more about the success of Peace By Chocolate and their plans for the future you can click on the link below. peacebychocolate.ca. However, be prepared! You might want to buy some of their chocolate to help in their quest to promote peace throughout the world.

The above quote by Mr. Hadhad’s grandmother struck a chord with me. Now that I am retired and in my 70’s, I have had more time to reflect on my past and where I am today. His grandmother’s words are absolutely true. How we handle our past on our life’s journey as a human is the foundation for our future success. Knowing and accepting our past whether it was good or not is to me like building a house with a firm foundation. If it isn’t a strong one it could crumble causing us to get stuck somewhere along the way. The house with a firm foundation will outlast the poorly built ones, and be a blessing to those who live in it. Likewise for us humans lucky to have a family who provided us with a firm foundation, we had the privilege of all if not some of the following:

  • Being part of a strong family unit.
  • Feeling loved.
  • Feeling safe.
  • Taught to respect our elders.
  • To be responsible for our actions.
  • To tell the truth
  • And possibly more.

However, what if we didn’t have a firm foundation? Does this mean we will never achieve what we truly want to do with our life and never fulfill our dreams? Of course not. Many people were brought up under difficult circumstances, pursued their dreams, and achieved success. Think Elvis Presley and Marilyn Munroe. Both followed their dreams and gained fame and fortune. However, they were unable to handle their success which ended in early deaths for both. Tragedies like this can be traced back to coming from homes that in some way didn’t have a firm foundation for them to thrive in.

I am now racking my brain for those who may have been brought up in a house with a flimsy foundation who nevertheless became famous for what he/she was good at doing and went on to manifest a good life until the day they died. The first one who comes to mind is Wayne Dyer. He was born into a family where his dad was an alcoholic who deserted his family leaving his mother and siblings to fend for themselves. He spent most of his childhood in orphanages and was eventually adopted by a nice middle-class family. Despite his unsettled childhood, he went on to write more than forty self-help books and became a popular motivational speaker on PBS.

Many more celebrities grew up poor but nevertheless were very successful at carving out a prosperous living for themselves as well as a seemingly balanced life. Dolly Parten, Oprah Winfrey, Celine Dion and Shania Twain to name a few had to claw their way up to the top of the ladder with nothing more than good luck and a strong drive to succeed. Comparing them to other actors who came from rich backgrounds, I found it interesting that those who grew up poor remained frugal and spent their money wisely even after making lots of it and they also had good marriages. Many who were brought up rich gained success but didn’t fare as well in the marriage department.

Writing this post has reminded me that success in life is not based on what you do but more on who you are. It’s also got nothing to do with being rich. Sometimes the rich turn out to be more in the failure category especially if they were not brought up in a stable household and given a strong foundation. I was brought up by various relatives and one home which today would be called a foster home. There was not a lot of money in some cases but enough to get by. I learned to be frugal which has stood me in good stead. I have fulfilled my childhood dream of traveling to foreign countries giving me the best education about life and myself. Admittedly, I sometimes worry about whether I will have enough money to see me through to the end of my life. I know much of this worrying is coming from the state of our world these days but I am working on how to leave the worry behind and live my life as best I can. Quotes like the one above from Mrs. Hadhad, practicing mindfulness, keeping active with volunteering, still travelling although not as much, and connecting with my family are keeping my eyes and body moving ahead.

One last thing before ending this post, I want to thank the Hadhad family for all the good work they are doing with their Peace By Chocolate sales and their contribution to causes that are focussed on promoting peace in our world. I would also like to thank them for inspiring me write this post.

A Good Piece of Advice

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I am not usually a person who seeks advice on how to make a decision about something I’m stewing over. I figure I can solve my own problems, thank you. Furthermore, I don’t appreciate people who don’t know me very well to offer their solution to my dilemnas. If I really need someone’s advice, I will ask for it. However, when I read today’s prompt to write about the best piece of advice I have ever had, I immediately thought of what my dear Aunt told me when I was preparing to leave home for a university where I would be living in residence while studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree.

We are going back to 1963 when leaving home to go to university was still a big deal. Many of us gals who were lucky enough to go beyond high school were going for an Arts degree with little thought of what we would do once we achieved that. Oh yes, I had a couple of ideas in mind such as teaching or social work and possibly even as a foreign diplomat. Unfortunately, at that time being a foreign diplomat wasn’t a job which wanted women unless she had very high marks. Sensing that I needed some advice on what to do with my undergraduate education, my aunt advised me that I had better not graduate with an MRS degree. “A what,” I asked? When she pointed to her fourth finger on her left hand, I got her message loud and clear. I will never forget that moment. Not only did I learn about a new kind of degree, but one which turned out to be the best advice I could have gotten. She wasn’t far off the truth as many of my friends and other classmates were engaged by their senior year. Nevertheless, it did bother me a bit because I worried too much about whether I would even have a date for the Senior prom.

Not forgetting my Aunt’s advice, I realised I had to pursue more than an Arts degree, so decided on a teaching degree. Then, after two years of teaching, I managed to save enough money to take a sabbatical for a year to fulfill my life long dream to travel. Along with two girlfriends, the three of us having graduated without rings on our fingers, we took off to backpack in the year of 1969/70 around Europe, Israel and Turkey on $5 a day.

Thank you dear Aunt Dee Dee for your support and guidance which was one of the best things I have done in my life.