Happiness
The weekday started as usual. It was not one of the ten days a month that I work part time with the U.S. Bureau of the Census. My wife Judy woke me up at 6 a.m. to assist her in getting to Oxford High School to her assignment as a special education instructor. Since I usually go to bed late, it took me about ten minutes to get moving. In fact, it was quite painful for me to be awake at that hour. So much so, that I stated that I could not stand feeling the way I did.
Finally, after assisting Judy, I laid down in bed to sleep for awhile. I could not. I received impressions from my spiritual guidance which eventually caused me to laugh and finally to get up and really begin my day.
I started reflecting about my job as a Census taker and the experience I had attempting to obtain interviews for the unemployment survey. Nationwide, we contact only about 60,000 households a month, so each household we contact represents about 3,000 others and is therefore very important in our survey.
Doing my 30 to 50 interviews per month causes my emotions to vary from depression to elation. [Fortunately I have friends with whom I can discuss my state of mind.]
For example, a person I wished to interview several months ago made me depressed. He said he is going out of town and had no time. However, in the background his wife spoke up, perhaps to suggest that she could assist me, since she did the first time. Her husband silenced her. I explained the importance of the survey, that our economy is somewhat dependent upon the survey (for example, in establishing jobs in certain areas and aiding Mr. Greenspan of the Federal Reserve in setting the prevailing interest rate, especially the mortgage rate, in our country, and thereby currently saving homeowners billions of dollars), but he said that he had already been interviewed three times and did not want to be interviewed again. Because of his belligerence I failed to state that many households assist us with 8 interviews in 18 months because in this manner we save the taxpayers $3,000,000 per year. I also failed to inquire about the whereabouts of two of his neighbors. He closed my attempted interview by saying that he was sorry that I had to be out on such a snowy day.
An example of my work causing me to be elated is the following, which are thoughts that assisted me when I wrote a letter to one of the people I had to interview in April, 2005:
This letter is a basis for the future conclusion of my Current Population Survey's interviews with you to determine the unemployment rate for our country, since I mistakenly told you last month that that was our last interview. Despite my difficulty in getting an interview from you, it makes me happy when I do get one. For not only am I doing my job, I am meeting someone whom I consider "great." Not only do you have an important job, you are also able to share about it where it counts significantly. What you share with us is reduced to statistics. In addition, I enjoy meeting you. I basically love meeting people. Your name has special meaning to me, because it is also the name of a lifelong friend. And I hold out to everyone the possibility of becoming another of my lifelong friends. Since you are African American, I would like to say that I actually owe my life to an African American woman who was my baby sitter when I was a child and my mother had to work.
However, the letter included little of the preceding and was quite businesslike. Yet, creating and mentally sending the above would qualify as a spirit message and assist in a problem area.
Speaking of having friends, I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting some of my friends in this lifetime that I have known in prior lifetimes. I have actually met some of them when doing my job for the Bureau of the Census. Of course, I never discussed this possibility with them.
There is a book entitled, Born Again to Be Together, which states that many of us have returned to accomplish important tasks together.
Further reflections upon my life: Although I disliked all the paperwork involved with my previous job with the IRS, I did enjoy meeting the representatives of the estates. It was also true that I seemed to accomplish more in a day than I do now.
Lately I dreamt of going back to college and getting an advanced degree in political science or teaching business law at a junior college, but as of now have not put my dreams into action. Yet, I know that I do share adequately of my time and money and I greet everyone I meet. I justify my inactivity by saying that I am 70 years of age and at least by this time have learned that I cannot accomplish everything I can think of. I let myself do what I believe is necessary and reserve the rest for another day, and feel good about my decision. I attempt not to judge myself by saying that I procrastinate. I say that I am a retired person who has the right to organize his life to minimize pain. Of course, all of us have this right.
When I am down on myself, I note that I am a house husband and do not have a full time job. However, when I look closer at how I spend my time, I realize that I am giving something of tremendous value. I share my time and money with flexibility, attempting not to leave out those in need. I also realize that I am the most important person in the universe to myself.
To get myself on the right frame of mind toward being happy, I say the following:
I am cheerful. Goodness flows from me. I am love. I share with my heart and live my life as I feel, understand, see and know it. I do not attempt to be great, for I know that I am great. I place my security in God and my spiritual helpers. My hope is that I will forever be seeing fruitful days in my existence and not seeing my hope shattered by disappointment. I know that this will happen less and less when I gain greater ability not to judge myself.
I would like to read you material which have motivated me to be creative: [Read poems: "Power Derived Through Dedication," "Desiderata," "The Butterfly," “To Be at Peace with Myself.”]
I would like to state what to me happiness is and is not: It is not life forever filled with joy and peace, but one which includes growth experiences through which we learn to control our emotions, sometimes with help. It is when we trust guidance to assist us with our needs and wants, and to inspire us toward the greater good, or to just sing to us songs such as "On [with] the Wings of Eagles," "Cruising Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon" and "I Will Row My Boat Merrily Along." It is the ability to overcome the fear created by situations in life affecting ourselves and/or others over which we have little control. It is the knowledge that no matter what happens to us, God and His angels are by our side, and we know that we can handle any situation that life gives us. It is not the belief that someone else holds the key to determining what is in our best interest, but our ability to know from our inner guidance what is. It is not having wealth and power to control our lives and others, but having enough abundance to meet the needs of ourselves and those for whom we are responsible. And if we temporarily do not have such abundance, both financial or otherwise, it is having the fortitude with no false pride to ask for what we need. And if we do have extra abundance, we have the willingness to assist those who don't.
In closing, I would like to share a prayer I have created with help from my spiritual helpers and the Americana Leadership College:
Cleansing and healing of all the universes. Let the love light shine, the love boats fly, the personages appear, our will be done. Lights, boats, angels! Do you see any lights? Go to them. Let them come close to you. Get visions, past, present and future. I will count to three, and clap my hands and request you to follow the lights. One, two, three, [clap]. God is always with you. God loves you. You are beautiful... Thank you. Praise God.
David C. Hakim
Rochester, Michigan
2004