Happiness and Not Being Able to Post Comments

Let's go about this backwards.

I can't look at comments in a regular fashion on my blogposts (though I can find them other ways), but the bigger quandary is I can't comment at all, be it my own blog or others. If anyone knows the answer to this blogging puzzle presented by the anti-posting goblins, please let me know.

Happiness.

In seeking to find the reasons for practicing martial arts, happiness is a concept that never fails to join the conversation, and it usually comes at the end, standing alone as the only tangible reason most of the time. Well, I'm not sure how to connect aikido with the weekend I just had, but I've found some of my highest levels of happiness experienced in the past couple days.

On Saturday I met my 5 closest friends in Toyama City and we departed for a small mountain town called Toga. There, we stayed at this guy's house and had a great shindig remarkably similar to one's I'm used to back home in the States: bbq, fireplace, loud music, booze, close friends, dogs and cats running around, and beds to sleep in. Met a few new awesome people, got a lot closer to the one's I went with, and will be definitely going back to this guy's house many many times in the future in all seasons. This morning we woke up and drove 5 minutes to go snowboarding. No new snow and the lifts at the top of the mountain were closed due to avalanches, so the conditions weren't perfect. But all of us as friends stayed together on the mountain this sunny day, except for a bit where I hiked with my best buddy through the snow for 30 minutes to the lift that was closed, and had a heavenly white 30 second powder rip down. Afterwards, it's onsen and a timely return back home. The words can't express, and I should've taken some fricken pictures to show how awesome it all was. All I have are my emotions on this Sunday night as I crack a Yebisu beer (way to extravagant for my lifestyle and income on a normal night), proceed to watch my recent series of interest (Spartacus), and fall to sleep which will transition me to Monday.

I was thinking earlier this week about what to do with "a lot". So much of our lives, we are lacking something we want, or working for something else, sowing and toiling. This is good I think. But what should we do when we find ourselves with a lot. Having accomplished our goals somewhat and in possession of excess, what do we do knowing that we will soon dip down back into the valleys and have to climb back up? I don't know. Do we need to do something? Say something? Write something? I don't know. Tonight, I think a great way to experience is it is to do exactly what I am: drinking a beer and getting ready to watch my show and go to sleep. That makes me pretty happy.

And Aikido? One of my favorite activities that brings me a great a happiness. I should climb out of this valley that keeps me from practice, and find that mountain temple where I can train to my heart's content with good people.

Happiness is everything. No-Happiness is everything too.

But Happiness is really really cool sometimes, like friends, snowboarding, house parties with animals and fire places, onsen.

Do what makes you happy.