The question was asked in a recent article in The New York Times (”When the Time for Stuff Is Over” by Joyce Wadler, Nov.25, 2010): What is worth worrying about?

And, the woman being interviewed (Barbara Roche Fierman) said something profound: ”People doing good things on this earth, leaving the world a better place.  It doesn’t matter what you do — if you do for cats, fine; if you do for Uganda, fine; if you do for the trees,” she says.  But ”everybody owes it to the world to make it a little bit better.”

I agree with her completely and do try, in my own small ways, to make things better for people I know or care about.  I may not succeed as much as I would like to, but I try to overcome my own selfishness, my own self-centeredness.

What about you? What do you think of this person’s comments?

Make believe you received the most important message in your life.  What would it be?

Please share with us.

Make believe you carried a bag with dreams that you left with people each night.  What are some within the bag?

Make believe you could perform  your dream act for the circus.  What would you do?

Share with us.

The key to happiness lies in ”strength of mind, inner serenity and a quality like steadfastness,” says the Dalai Lama in an interview published in The Washington Post Nov. 6, 2010.    I have no doubt that inner serenity is one of the keys to happiness; it is something that is missing from my life and something which I am trying to cultivate, but with little success.   I find myself searching for peace and quiet to calm me down from all the rigors of life, but it is a difficult battle.  I’m not sure when, if ever, I will succeed.

What about you?  What do you think is the key to happiness?  Share with us.

Listen to a calming, beautiful piece of music. What pictures come into your head?

Share with us.