“Laughter” | Anthony Satori

I think one of the keys to a happy life is to cultivate the ability to find joy, meaning, and fulfillment in everything that we do, even the most mundane and simple of life’s experiences. It’s a matter of showing up for life, being here in the present moment, and paying attention.

For example. if you can sit down and play even a simple song on a musical instrument, or if you can sing along with a song in your car, or if you love to dance to a rhythm or flow – feel the magic of that, every time you do it. Music never gets less miraculous, we simply become jaded to its magic, and that does not have to happen. If we pay attention, we can choose to never lose the awe and pleasure that music can inspire.

In the same way, when you eat a good meal, even the most simple of meals, taste it, savor it, appreciate it. Food never has to be boring or rote, we simply tune out the pleasure that can occur at every meal, and that pleasure can be rediscovered if we simply choose it. Slow down, taste your food, be grateful for the nourishment and for the sensory experience of it.

And this, of course, applies to so many other things – sunshine, fresh air, clouds in the sky, the song of a bird, the company of a good friend or a loved one, the pleasure of reading a good book or watching a good movie – all of these things hold magic in them. They all have the potential to provide peak experiences, if we know how to slow down, pay attention, and approach them with appreciation and gratitude. It is simply a matter of consciously choosing this path, every day, and then making the most of every moment.