182.6 Aren't You Happy?

I get this question a lot and, of course, I am happy that I've been able to lose all of this weight, these 65 pounds. Of course I'm happy. Or am I?

Happiness isn't a number on a scale, or even reaching a goal. I can hear someone saying in my head that it's the journey, not reaching the destination, that provides the joy. Happiness comes in all sorts of sizes, colors, intensities, and sounds. And, it's not a static frame of mind. It ebbs and flows. But if losing 65 pounds doesn't make me happy, what does, what will?

I'm going to start paying close attention to when I feel happy and to what seems to spark this feeling, and work toward replicating it as often as possible. Is happiness the same as joy? Both of these states of mind are precious and so much better than wallowing around in a ho-hum frame of mind.

I seem to have an affinity for moving from joy and/or happiness into an old, blah place and when challenged about it, it dawned on me that that's a waste of life. It's like carrying a lot of weight around because you're used to it, it's familiar, and you're not willing to do anything about it. Now that I've gotten rid of so much weight, I'd like to feel that "lightness of being" that accompanies joy. I've been working on freeing myself of these old mind patterns while learning about food and me, and have made significant progress on all of these areas. When I replace the old mind set with the new, freer, more joyous me, it will be as big an accomplishment as losing every one of those pounds.