For the first time in my life, I actually think I’m happy. Good life. Good relationship. Better job. Social life. A support network. I’m clean & sober. Roof over my head. Food in my belly. I do more of what I love. I have less tolerance of bullshit. I write and love and smile more.

All in all, no complaints really.

"I do more of what I love. I have less tolerance of bullshit."

BOOM!!! that folks is happiness in a nutshell

Should be a freakin mantra I swear.

Happiness is not complicated at all, we make it complicated because there are so many distractions in the world, distractions from knowing and understanding ourselves, our individual nature if you will. We all face adversity in life, will all face heartbreak and loss in one form or another, the secret to happiness is knowing when it's ok not to be happy

For everything else there's music ;)

Naughtymouse said:"I do more of what I love. I have less tolerance of bullshit."

BOOM!!! that folks is happiness in a nutshell

Should be a freakin mantra I swear.

Happiness is not complicated at all, we make it complicated because there are so many distractions in the world, distractions from knowing and understanding ourselves, our individual nature if you will. We all face adversity in life, will all face heartbreak and loss in one form or another, the secret to happiness is knowing when it's ok not to be happy
For everything else there's music ;)

I like how you put it. I'm not a buddhist but it helps to accept the quality of the moment and then....if I don't like it.... I can still change the aspects that need to be changed. What I can not change I will take as learning exercise to temper myself.

Naughtymouse said:"I do more of what I love. I have less tolerance of bullshit."

BOOM!!! that folks is happiness in a nutshell

Should be a freakin mantra I swear.

Happiness is not complicated at all, we make it complicated

Thanks you 💚
But yeah, it seems not as complicated as we think it is. Been finding that out.

In the wake of Anthony Bourdain ... it's all an illusion.

Oh, Happy, Happy... I gave up BS as a waste of precious time
I'm happy to wake up in the morning on the right side of the grass.
Of course there are forays into anger, disappointment, raging at "the machine"... etc.
But Happiness is all about balance... and maintaining balance... is work...
(and it's working)

A while back I figured out that there's two ways to deal with any situation; we can laugh or we can cry... it's our choice.
Nothing exists without it's opposite, and Mummy was right... there is no free lunch.

For me... that's what poetry is all about... getting it OUT.
Happiness is a warm poem on my plate. Life is Good

Happiness is being able to curse politicians ,

corporations , government organizations ,

countries , and individuals or groups , not

working for the highest good , and taking

care of the poor and common people , and

watching those magical curses come true ,

and cause those people great discomfort

at the least , if not immediate bad health ,

or possible insanity or death / suicide...

*That* makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...;)

( I do like blessing those who are caring , loving ,

and supportive people , and those who struggle to

assist others in need )...;)

( let's just say a certain U.S. government official had

a heart attack within minutes after I cursed them

yesterday...I loved hearing that ! )

Yeah...I know some would consider that terrible...

Honestly , I don't give a fuck what they think...

It is who I am...you make things easier for the poor ,

the ones in pain , the elderly , women , children , animals ,

nature , you will get my blessing...

You work against those goals and issues...you will get my

calling on all the Powers That Be , and the Spirits and Faery

to fuck with you in the worst possible way ...

( or if you are just a bully , rude , or a asshole )

*That* is happiness...;)

Hey Black, can I send you a list? I tried that curse thing but it never works for me. I too would feel some satisfaction to see a few of these monsters squirm.

Sure...

Don't take it wrong if I edit or add to the list , as I feel is needed...;)

I do try to be careful about *who* I curse...:)

But I believe we would have similar thoughts and lists...

But this is why I teach what I do...

Rather than "feed others , I like to teach them how to fish"...

That way , *they have the power"...

Just like poetry is an "Art"...

So is magic !

This probably isn't the place to say so but yes I've been gone a while, I could blame that on a multitude of things including trying not to die in hospital but now I feel like I'm being punished for it.. 222 reads on one poem (thank you for at least reading) not a single comment.  Critiques given no acknowledgements. Nothing, I feel like I'm invisible, I got more  interaction when I first joined! So I suppose I'll plod on until someone  deems me worthy  and notices I'm here!

Well, Spell... I just got here myself... but Welcome Back! Ely

I thank if you can truly say that you live "in the moment" then happiness is real. But, who can say that when we all look back and forward at any given time throughout our life.

Thank you

UnderYourSpell said:This probably isn't the place to say so but yes I've been gone a while, I could blame that on a multitude of things including trying not to die in hospital but now I feel like I'm being punished for it.. 222 reads on one poem (thank you for at least reading) not a single comment.  Critiques given no acknowledgements. Nothing, I feel like I'm invisible,I got more  interaction when I first joined! So I suppose I'll plod on until someone  deems me worthy  and notices I'm here!

Firstly, not certain what 'critiques' you're referring to, but for the record -- on behalf of and as a co-director of Honestly Crafted Critique ( because you've never critiqued my personal that I'm aware of ), I noticed your critiques.  I also noticed you didn't read the critiques already delivered nor the responses to those critiques. I know this because, secondly, Mel did respond to your critique on 'Crisis', explaining she had already made the edits you suggested because they were addressed in a previous critique.  

Johnny and I both welcome critiquers open-heartedly, and get excited when someone actually takes the initiative to critique. We also support our critiquers; however, feel it's a bit disrespectful to come in weeks after-the-fact, bulldoze over a formal critique and subsequent response, then point out one or two things which had already been addressed and responded to.

We run a tight ship in there to keep the trolls, bullies,  and back-patters at bay. Everyone can get enough of that in the forums and their personal pages.

We seek serious writers who honestly want to grow their craft, and help others along the way. If you're merely wanting attention, but pay no attention to what's there, may I ask what it is you expect?  What do you truly want?

Genuine participation or attention?

If you want to be a part of HCC, post a poem for critique. You'll get a response, I guarantee you because no poem is left behind. If you want to be a critiquer, then respect your fellow critiquers and support their critques, as we'll support yours ( as long as you're not repeating what's already been said ).

We would LOVE to make more members such as yourself Stewards of HCC.  But only if they truly care about poetry and not only want to improve their own, but help others as well.

I hope that helps clarify things a bit. You're more than welcome to post and critique any time. I am sure Johnny will weigh in when he has the time.

UnderYourSpell said:This probably isn't the place to say so but yes I've been gone a while, I could blame that on a multitude of things including trying not to die in hospital but now I feel like I'm being punished for it.. 222 reads on one poem (thank you for at least reading) not a single comment.  Critiques given no acknowledgements. Nothing, I feel like I'm invisible, I got more  interaction when I first joined! So I suppose I'll plod on until someone  deems me worthy  and notices I'm here!

Hi, Annie!

You and I go back a few years; we were accustomed to more or less a group atmosphere blurting out suggestions to a poem within 24 hours - often times several poems at once. We rarely gave out intensely thorough critiques; that just wasn't how we operated. How could we? Some of our challenges were met with 20, 30 or 40 poems in a short span of time.

Here at HCC in DUP, the çritique atmosphere is a different story.

Each poem receives a "thorough" critique by one of the HCC Directors or Stewards, who will take into consideration any prior critiques so as not to repeat observations and suggestions. Any member of the HCC group is welcome to volunteer a poem or critique.

Like Ahavati pointed out, you did receive a response to one of your critiques, which was to a poem that was already critiqued and revised weeks ago.

Unfortunately, not everyone who submits a poem to HCC has been gracious enough to acknowledge the feedback they received.  Ahavati and I have critiqued plenty ourselves without any response. That's often how it is here at DUP. Poets want their poetry assessed, yet put forth little if any effort in revising their work according to well thought out suggestions.

And we deal with a lot of trolls simply wasting our time.

However, we critique because we enjoy it, better ourselves as writers because of it and want to help those who genuinely want to improve their writing skills. And we do it without expectation of anything in return.

That's vital to understanding how our group operates. Your critiques may possibly go ignored.  Ahavati, I and Mel have hundreds of hours of time invested into critiques - but only a fraction of those hours have been responded to with graciousness and even fewer hours have been responded to with actual revisions.

We are happy that you volunteered your time to help others. If only more members of DUP would. But volunteering your own time by critiquing here at DUP needs to be somehow be rewarding in  itself or you will never be truly satisfied with DUP.

We hope to have more participation from you.