Perhaps there is no other trend in which humanity is so unanimous as in the desire to be happy. But how to achieve this? Whoever has not tried to unravel this secret – we will try.
Today the world is obsessed with efficiency and achievement, forcing happiness to be measured by success. Moreover, success, expressed quantitatively: who earned how much, how many countries he traveled, how many likes he received. Sometimes you can’t do without numbers, but are they appropriate where we are talking about the most subjective experience possible – about happiness?
I was sitting in the seat of the plane, which was gaining altitude. As always, passengers were asked to turn off their smartphones – and now the whole world of social networks disappeared for a couple of hours, mesmerizing with joyful faces, and it was time to ask myself: what makes me happy?
Is there a universal recipe for happiness? The plane was heading towards the sunny Crimea. Maybe there, rather than in gray Moscow, it will be possible to find the answer.
Live in harmony with nature
I equally love both mountains and the sea, but meeting with the latter always resembles communication with a person. What our conversation will be depends on the emotional state of each. But just as I accept a loved one in any mood, I like any sea. Affectionate and friendly, inviting with a soft rustling wave. Stormy and frothy, warning “I’m not in a good mood now, get away!”. Or flirtatious, ready to gently rock on the waves.
It doesn’t matter what mood the sea is in, but next to it you feel peace, it becomes easier to get in touch with your own experiences, which means you feel happy. Perhaps, here it is, the little secret of my happiness – inner harmony, which is much easier to get in touch with when you are in harmony with nature.
To understand how inspiring living in harmony with the outside world can be, it is enough to take a trip to and visit one of the wineries.
A good wine is rich in aromatics and has a unique aftertaste – what is the secret of its production? It was a surprise for me that the harvested grapes should never be washed: a whitish coating on the surface of the berries is the habitat of yeast fungi, which, in contact with the juice, start the fermentation process. Then 3-4% of natural alcohol is released – it kills bacteria, and further use of preservatives is no longer required.
Crimean winemakers adhere to the principle: if you grow the right grapes, then nature will do the rest. That is why it is important not to use chemicals: they can destroy the natural ecosystem of the vine, change the bacterial composition on the skin of the berries, and therefore significantly affect the quality of the product.
Such a careful treatment of nature, the rejection of the use of artificial substances reminded me of the basic principles of psychotherapy: you just need to create the right conditions for a person – and he himself will find a resource to overcome difficulties.
Do what you love
Whether a person is happy or not is not so difficult to determine. You just need to be able to distinguish an artificial smile from a natural one, memorized phrases from spontaneous speech. But the most important thing is that next to him you yourself feel happier, you become infected with his enthusiasm and inspiration.
Winemakers talk so enthusiastically about their wine, describe the details of growing and harvesting grapes, that you involuntarily experience admiration. Making wine is a complex and at the same time very creative process that begins long before the grape harvest. The number of nuances is breathtaking. At the same time, there are many risks in it, and this occupation is unlikely to attract those who are looking for quick and easy enrichment. When you listen to winemakers, you even begin to envy their ability to live in harmony with the outside world and do what they love.
Sometimes, when we fantasize about happiness, we imagine blissful idleness. It is also necessary, especially when fatigue has accumulated, but it is your favorite business that helps you feel alive.
be in the present
We are either too busy planning and worrying about the future, or we cannot let go of past grievances, accept our own mistakes. But it is hardly possible to become happy without learning to notice what is happening to us right now. The future exists only in fantasies, the past in memories.
Wine tasting is a real training for the development of awareness and the ability to enjoy the moment. After all, only if you leave aside all worries about the future and regrets about the past, you can catch the tart aftertaste or fresh berry notes that wine gives.
Slightly swirl the glass to allow the wine to open up, inhale its aroma, take the first sip, but do not rush to swallow. If you hold the drink in your mouth a little, thanks to the work of the taste buds, you will be able to distinguish all its shades. Winemakers do not like fuss, because a bottle of good wine is a work of art, but how can you get pleasure from an art gallery by running around all its halls in a hurry.
In the vineyards you forget where you are – and it’s not alcohol at all: thanks to its low concentration in dry wine, small portions, slow tasting and a delicious cheese plate, you don’t have time to get drunk. It’s just that everything around is too reminiscent of measured Italy or France.
In addition to a bottle of your favorite drink, you want to take with you the ability to enjoy every moment like a sip of signature wine with a rich aftertaste.
Where to look for happiness?
Perhaps, after reading this text, you thought it was time to drop everything, go south and urgently become a winemaker. I won’t risk dissuading, yet there is no universal recipe: one finds happiness on the shores of the Indian Ocean, and the other meets a kindred spirit in line for bread.
Although no, perhaps such a recipe still exists: happiness must be sought inside. His search is not a journey to other countries, but deep into oneself. Not imitating someone, but discovering your own path.
Happiness is the ability to choose: what to eat for breakfast, put on shoes or sneakers, buy or sell, leave or stay. Come to Sevastopol at the beginning of summer to waltz on , or in August, to test the limits of their own capabilities on .
Happiness is complicated and at the same time very simple. And it may already be happening to you right now.