Happiness - a post-script to Queen / Music Heals

A few things came to me this week. One of those things was the realisation that in this post entitled "Music Heals - Impressions of Queen + Adam Lambert" I never did get back to what I meant by that title.

To be quite blunt about it, over the course of the past year or so, I've discovered (and to some extent, so has science) that happiness actually heals auto-immune disease. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't think that you just have to think happy thoughts and a disease that has plagued you for your entire life will disappear, that isn't what I mean.  From a purely personal perspective, with the kind of disease I have, truly being in a state of happiness works magic on my levels of pain, swelling and from all accounts, actual disease progression.

And music makes me wildly, incredibly happy, ergo the previous title about Queen + Adam Lambert's concert in Brisbane.  I felt so alive, so invigorated and so much less like a disabled ill person when that concert was over. Music brings so much hope, and to be surrounded by such a crowd filled with the joy of living, that is a magical kind of thing. 

It is interesting as I did as much welling up with tears as I did laughing (probably more) during the concert, as Queen's music brings back incredibly sensitive & poignant memories for me.  Yet they were tears of release, of comfort in the music. I felt this also when overwhelmed with emotion at Bruce Springsteen concerts, the tears were all part of the pleasure of the immersion into the music. 

Today, after running out of money at the supermarket and being cranky with the children because I was worried about getting by until Friday I realised that the exact time I needed a happy attitude was right now.  There is no point waiting till things get better to be happy. Happiness is a choice we make and all other choices follow accordingly.  I had not long decided to be happy, then I made all the children yummy afternoon tea, we played soccer, made damper for supper and I was able to handle absolutely everything this evening calmly! It felt so much better than letting myself get distressed over a lack of spending money when we already have everything we need to get by for the week.  It was easy to feel happiness after listening to incredible live music, but not so simple when at home surrounded by life's dramas.

So this week I've set myself a challenge. Not only to pursue happiness, through exercise, what I eat and drink, gratitude and music; but to blog daily until next Monday night about some aspect of how I am going with it. So far the 'formula' is working wonderfully, I'm ready for a good night's rest, not a care in the world!