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Two Buckets of Energy: Happiness and Unhappiness

2/22/2014

23 Comments

 
Picture
Reviewing my life, I can clearly see myself carrying two buckets filled with energy that keeps me a balanced human being. I can imagine one bucket is a source of happiness and the other is a source of unhappiness. Both are sources of energy.  

I have a choice: I can use both sources, or only one at a time. The more I use the source of happiness, the more strength I get to move on in spite of the onslaughts of life – like a star, orbiting forward, emitting light and energy, fulfilling its true purpose. The more I use the source of unhappiness, the more strength I get to turn myself into a black hole, swallowing myself and the people close to me.   



More than a decade ago I experienced the devastating results of using unhappiness as a source of energy. Of course, I didn’t use it on purpose; I was merely too stupid to employ my sources properly. Sadly, we have to experience the negative in order to appreciate its equivalent positive.

The point is, for many years now I refuse to use my source of unhappiness. It's easy, like drinking water either from one glass or another. By the way, Life has a way of keeping our buckets always full, so we shouldn't get the idea that we have anything to do with the filling-process. We can but only use the content – whatever comes our way – to give us the strength to do what we WANT to do in spite of what we should do.        

And so, feeding from my source of happiness - On Valentine’s Day we had a ball in our favorite ‘paradise’ – Unspoiled Nature.

Check out my article/hub about the Eye of the Groot Marico River here: The-Eye-of-the-Marico-River-South-Africa



Our buckets of happiness are among many other things filled with divine creations beyond our comprehension. 

Picture
The Eye of the Groot Marico River, South Africa (The Marico Oog)
23 Comments
Vicki
2/22/2014 09:54:07 am

Martie - so true, using our positive energy is much more powerful than using the negative. It actually takes less energy to smile than to frown!
Love this picture, you must have had a lovely peaceful time there. I will check your link!
Love, Vicki

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Martie Coetser link
2/22/2014 10:48:40 am

Hi, Vicki, we always enjoy our getaways to the Bushveld. I would love to live on the banks of the Groot Marico river. I hope the pictures in my hub will make you feel as if you've been there with us :)

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femmeflashpoint link
2/22/2014 10:20:27 am

Dear Martie,

Unhappiness is something I don't like drawing on either. Like a siren's song, it pulls and tugs and envelopes many folks who never learn to plug their ears.

Happy you're drawing from the happiness well, my friend. And, glad you had a wonderful time for your Valentine's celebration!

femme

Reply
Martie Coetser link
2/22/2014 11:07:16 am

Femme, for the better part of my life I was unhappy, until I have finally realised that I have just as many reasons to be happy. Thank heavens we have a choice. I have mastered the art of blocking negativeness, but I must add that negativeness is a spirit - an attitude, a simple mindset - always next to positiveness for us to acquire whenever we feel like it, and for some reason beyond my comprehension it is the easiest to acquire.... at least for me. Maybe because I get more intensive attention - TLC - while I am sad and negative as when I am happy and positive. Lol!

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Shauna L Bowling link
2/22/2014 10:28:53 am

Martie, we have choices to make every day. We can be happy and see the bright side of life or we can be unhappy and dwell on the doom and gloom. We'll still have dark days from time to time - that's just the way life is, but when those days arrive, we have to choice to let them eat us up or we can kick them out of the way.

Great post, Martie!

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Martie Coetser link
2/22/2014 11:21:47 am

Shauna, sometimes we are too hurt, angry or tired to do that kicking move, but then we have friends and relatives to do it on our behalf. Thanks for being such a supportive friend :)

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Ruby link
2/22/2014 10:30:46 am

Martie, so very true. Each and everyday we have a choice, we can move forward or look back and be unhappy at past mistakes made by us or the one's we loved. I love the serenity prayer ( accept the things i cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference ) I enjoyed your hub about Groot Marico River. The pictures were beautiful. May your buckets remain full of renewed happiness.
Hugs....

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Martie Coetser link
2/22/2014 11:28:34 am

Ruby, so wonderful to see you at my sherry fountain. I love the serenity prayer, every word of it :) Collecting positive quotes is also a way of using energy from the 'happiness bucket' :)

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Alexandra link
2/22/2014 03:21:07 pm

Drawing from happiness takes strength but oh, the rewards! Why is unhappiness so seductive? I know many people who dwell there and drink from that bucket daily and I've done it myself in the past. I love this post and that gorgeous photo! :)

Reply
Martie Coetser link
2/22/2014 04:30:10 pm

Alexandra, after I have survived depression in 2001 - for the 3rd and the last time - I have decided to never be unhappy again. Oh, sad events still bring me down from time to time, but then I allow myself to heal, but with positive thoughts and actions. We have 3 primary urges - to live, to multiply, to die. The latter is the negative force that tries to destroy us from an early age. Remember our rages even before the age of 10 - 'I wish I were dead.' Give this damn urge half a chance and it will kill us in no time. And so I have learned the hard way how to keep it paralized with every positive thought and action in the book. Not always easy, although the right music and/or romance always beat the debil.... Being unhappy is awful. Life is too short to dwell in our sources of unhappiness. Period. The mere fact that we have the privilege to feel the sun on our skin, to appreciate and enjoy our awesome cosmos, to breathe, should make and keep us happy. Thanks for the visit :)

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kimmie
2/22/2014 06:31:54 pm

Martie..I do love the picture of the scales. So fitting as to how we all try to balance our thoughts and emotions. I do try to pull from the happy bucket but there are times when the other bucket wants to empty it's contents into the happy bucket...I am not fond of those times...lol..Thank you for sharing and you are such an inspiration to many and such a great friend.From what I see your bucket of happiness is always full. Love and hugs
Kimmie

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Martie Coetser link
2/23/2014 01:26:41 am

Kimmy, yes, sometimes we stumble and fall. Cleaning up the mess may take days. But it is okay, as long as we get yourself going again asap. Sadly, nobody can/may carry our buckets on our behalf. Everybody have their own..... :))

Come to think of it, after stumbling, while we are struggling to get ourselves on the road again, our friends and beloveds are waiting for us, or they are moving slowly forward, giving us time to catch up. If we don't take them in concideration they will have no choice but to give up on us, as death is the result of stagnation.

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marcoujor link
2/22/2014 07:32:01 pm

Dearest Sista,

The only thing I am unhappy about today is that it took me so long to be notified of this lovely post...as I had long been aware of your beautiful Valentine's Day photographic 'shall we say expose (LOL)"?!

I absolutely love and agree with your life philosophy but then why wouldn't I...we are soul Sistas...! Beautiful, like you...Hugs, mar

Reply
Martie Coetser link
2/23/2014 01:39:14 am

My dear online soul sista Mar, for some reason I have a tendency to use metaphors all the time to understand life and all its written and unwritten requirements. This one about happiness and unhappiness can keep me going for a long time.....

A sudden brain wave: To get myself on the esteem level of all my fellow-writer friends, I may consider publishing a book containing metaphors.... You know I may soon have the time on hands to do this......

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Susan Sproull
3/14/2014 05:02:50 pm

Hi Martie

I agree that we have a choice where we focus our energy. I mainly focus mine in the happiness bucket.

A wave of calm and tranquility came over me when I viewed the photo of Groot Marico River.

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Mike
3/25/2014 09:19:36 pm

I made some note: block negativeness, happiness bucket, Groot Marico River, got it!

Interesting

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Martie link
3/27/2014 04:44:02 pm

Hi Mike, I have seen the most beautiful waterfalls and natural pools last week. Going to write about them soon. Blocking negativeness is a full-time job!

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Colin link
4/11/2014 01:49:21 pm

I would carry your buckets, Marvelous Martie , any day of the week and the weekend too, lol, because you are one of the most brilliant women I've ever met and I am so happy for you and Mister B - what a wonderful story this has been and thank you for helping me see the light in 'other' people - yes, you were right all along. Sending love and big Canadian hugs to you and your dream man from the three of us at Canada time 2:49pm Friday -Colin, Tiffy and Gabriel

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Martie link
4/11/2014 03:38:37 pm

Hi, Colin, always good to see you in my corner. Unhappiness can also be seen as the other side of the coin.....

I have learned the hard way that true happiness is a choice. Once we have chosen it to be ours, we should not allow anyone to steal it.

I hope your are well, healthy and happy :) if you are wealthy, too, remember I am your friend :)))

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Colin link
4/27/2014 08:41:08 pm

Happy Birthday to you, my beautiful Martie, and I am hope you are healthy , happy and being creative too and I know you celebrate your birthday as a fact 365 days a year with the splendid Mister B - so I send him a hug as well. Peace be with you and always think good thoughts from Colin and the cats Tiffy and Gabriel at 9:40pm Canada and happy birthday again to one of the most charming intelligent women I will ever know.

Reply
Martie link
4/28/2014 08:38:59 am

Hi, Colin, thanks a lot for your welcome belated birthday wishes. I have missed you on my birthday on the 15th.... thought you were too busy charming a new neighbour..., :))

Always good to see you :)

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Gail Sobotkin
6/21/2014 11:54:32 pm

Hi Martie,
Beautifully put! I do believe that happiness and unhappiness are both sources of energy and that we can choose which source we want to dip into, especially when we are aware of how our choices and actions effect ourselves and also those we love.
It took me many years to realize happiness is a choice, not just something that happens to us or is beyond our control. Understanding that made a huge difference in my life. Now I know that even in the midst of the most challenging times I can still choose to take pleasure in the simple things in life such as nature.
Sending Hugs & Love Across the Miles,
Gail

Reply
Martie link
6/22/2014 08:18:51 am

Dear Gail, I don't know why it take so long before we realize happiness is a choice and a skill to be practiced? It goes hand in hand with gratefulness. In spite of the fact that my parents and others had told me this while I was just a child, I had to suffer many disappointments before I was able to get it. We humans are so headstrong; if only we are able to accept the advice of parents and elders while we are at the beginning of our lives. But somehow, I believe, Nature wants us to learn by trial and error. Thanks for the visit, dear Gail :)

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