18/03/2026
Sunrise dip & dog walk - celebrating the wonder that is on her day of birthāØ
There is a kind of happiness in pursuit - the anticipation of the sunrise, the hour journey to get there, the decision to take the long way home. That forward pull gives life momentum. Psychologists sometimes call it ādopaminergicā happiness: itās tied to movement, goals, and the feeling that something meaningful is just ahead.
But what about the actual moments - the actual sunrise, the quiet walk, the act of cooking- thatās a different flavor entirely. Itās slower, fuller, less restless. It doesnāt ask whatās next?ā Instead to poses the feeling of āthis is enough, right now.ā
Thatās closer to what many traditions point to as a deeper form of happiness - not excitement, but presence.
The tricky part is that our minds are wired to keep scanning for the next thing. Thatās why even after finishing a to-do list, thereās that subtle itch of āokay⦠now what?ā
Itās not a flaw, itās a survival feature that just doesnāt turn off easily in modern life but when we donāt switch it off it can lead to a continuous state of stress, burnout, hormonal changes etc.
Iām reading a book right now by Oliver Burkeman about how everything we do in modern life is in the pursuit of ātime savingā or āconvenienceā but what if you āinconveniencedā yourself today? - what if you took your time, created a ritual around an activity? Would you feel a sense of happiness? a sudden dropping into your body and become present as your nervous system responded to the unclench of the never ending journey we tell ourselves of āwhat is nextā.