A friend and I ventured over to Bahrain for some hours of a change of scenery and to chill out in the lovely weather.  Our feet took us to the Intercontinental Hotel, where we had the buffet lunch and relaxed by the pool.  The waiter was friendly and had a lovely smile.  Thank you Sultan for providing such a good service.

Sultan, the Waiter

Speaking of smiles, even as you say the word ‘Happy’ you have to smile.  Go on, say the word and see if you don’t struggle not to turn the ends of your mouth up.  Pharrell Williams has got us all smiling and jumping around to his phenomenal hit of the same name.  If you haven’t seen Pharrell’s touching interview with Oprah Winfrey, enjoy the humble, affable, personable and inspiring presence of this talented. intriguing artist. He’s brought happiness and fun into lives around the globe and it’s touching to see the effect on Pharrell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IYFKnXu623s

Bobby McFerrin also had an infectious hit with, “Don’t Worry, Be happy!”  Let’s have more ‘Happy’ songs every year to lift the world up with cheer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs&list=PLr6xPtmPzp4q05m_Wl8wiNe93TIcBvAAd&feature=player_detailpage

I read the below extract some years ago and refer to it every now and again.  I could write pages and pages on the theme of being Happy but I will keep this post short and sweet like the word itself and let the music, happy thoughts and happy words do the rest! I found the title to be such a powerful concept: ‘The Right to be Happy’, and as Pharrell says in the interview, it is our “birth right”.  As we get older we tend to forget this and let the world twirl us around like a spinning top out of control.  Let’s take control of our own happiness by enjoying the things we like and love to do.

On return from Bahrain, I got up for my morning walk around the compound, and as usual as I took some photos, it gave me chance to reflect on how really the simple things in life do make us smile.  From the sound of the waterfall, the turtles in the midst of a tide rushing past.  How we all yearn to be like this, calm in the midst of all the worldly chaos around us.

Whenever I reach this point of the fitness trail, I look down and want to run, even if I’d walked around the rest of the course!  Even when you think you are going downhill, you can still be moving forward. Yes, even when you think you are going downhill, you can still be moving forward.  There are times when we have to keep going, even if we’re not sure where things are going or where life will take us.  Like the photo, the path may not have a visible ending but we must have faith and keep going.  On this journey in life, we never know what is around the corner, so keep going.  Just when you think there is no point in looking, you can come across something like the image below, out of the blue or unexpected that will have you thinking on a different path or simply make you laugh.  Now where are my hedge cutters ……

As  the weekend draws near here in the Middle East, I wish for you a ‘Happy end’ to your week. For those of you in the part of the world still on the working week, make it a ‘Happy-filled’ week.