by Pamela Ziemann
As I sipped my tea at the local coffee shop, I noticed a middle-aged woman reading a book on happiness. She was intense. I could feel her determination and desire to have a little happiness for herself. Just as she turned the page, a little boy came in with his family. With a sparkle in his eye, he used his child-size walker to hop over to a toy he spotted by the window. He had a physical problem, but that didn’t slow him down.
A soft, continuous chuckle seemed to come from deep down in his soul; he was completely filled with joy. It poured out of him. The woman looked up from her book and we both smiled. There it was… happiness.
I thought of Harry Palmer’s quote, “Each moment that you are happy is a gift to the rest of the world.” Sure, being happy feels good and most of us want to get that for ourselves, but there’s a bigger picture. When we’re genuinely happy, we raise the energy level of those around us. One little boy, totally in love with life, bumped up the vibration of the entire coffee shop. I wonder if he knew how much power he had. He wasn’t trying to please anyone, not trying to make anyone happy, just being himself. Now that I think about it, the gifts that mean the most to me are the ones that happen spontaneously and open my heart. Like watching my 74 year old parents sing and dance with their 4 & 5 year old grandkids. Choosing to be happy – it’s something we all can do. Life can be a challenge with unforeseen hardships, but being happy is just a decision.
I remember the first time I did Exercise 5 from the ReSurfacing workbook (see page 11) where you deliberately smile until you feel happy. I was so jaded by my own fake smiles for so many years, I thought it was impossible to simply make a decision and be happy. However, once I finally let go of my resistance, it was natural and easy. And fun!
I see many parents on The Avatar Course and think to myself what lucky children they have; children with parents who make it a priority to be happy. What a gift for everyone! People who have taken The Avatar Course report feeling more connected to their family, friends and strangers. One student commented, “I didn’t take Avatar to be happy; I felt myself to be a happy person already. But when I took the course, I became even happier!” Some people think it’s selfish to take time for themselves, but they soon see that what they do for themselves in the way of self-improvement, actually benefits all of humanity. It raises the energy level. Every thought, word and deed has an effect. The little boy in the coffee shop had an effect on me that day. As he left, gleefully laughing for no apparent reason, another man walked in. This man was clearly frustrated; talking loudly and harshly on his cell phone. We all felt him and the energy of the coffee shop went down. It felt like he was caved into his own little world and didn’t even notice the impact he was having on everyone around him. But there was an impact. Haven’t we all been there? For so many years, I didn’t know where to go or what to do with my anger. I couldn’t do the pretend happy-face anymore, but didn’t know the way out either. Luckily I found the Avatar tools. It’s amazing how easy it is to let go of what we don’t want and decide to create the reality we prefer. For me, it was just a matter of mustering up the courage to be honest with myself and others.
Maybe that’s why I like being around little kids so much. They’re naturally honest. When they’re not happy, they express it and then they go back to being happy. It’s refreshing. And there’s no reason we can’t be like that too. You probably won’t want to stomp your feet and scream all around town, but you can simply and honestly state how you feel and own it. If you wonder why Avatar students shown in these journals have such big smiles, I’ll give you a hint. It has something to do with Harry’s quote, “Honesty is a path that leads to happiness.” If you’d like your own experience, contact an Avatar Master listed in the back of this journal. Like my nephew says, “I double, double dare you!”
Pamela Ziemann is an Avatar Master from Seattle, WA.
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