Happiness As A Way Of Life Does Not Mean That You’re Happy All The Time

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?

Rural landscape with sun rays breaking through dark clouds over green fields

I remember when I worked with a single parent who said, “I just want my son to be happy.” Regardless of where they are at in their life cycle, that’s what most parents want for their children.

But there is a difference between getting what we want, things not going our way and experiencing happiness as a way of life.

Awareness of the truth that we all suffer and that desire and attachment are the root of suffering is key to unlocking a common misconception about happiness.

Happiness as a way of life recognizes that an open, passive attitude and mindful approach by allowing the present moment to unfold as it will (regardless of what feelings we’re being visited by), is what’s up.

Moreover, it is freeing to be present with softening our sense of craving that often accompanies happiness (like any other state of being)- pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

We often crave moments to happen or not happen . . . Or by wishing them to begin or end in ways opposite of what’s really going on.

Moments are what they are. We are the one’s that project our “stuff” onto them. We’ve all done it.

Truly, these moments are what they are, and will be nothing more than fleeting or transient.

Might as well be curious about these moments as they arrive, and surf them as they happen, like riding a wave with the grace of a swan.

Just as an example, the pursuit of happiness is a setup in our constitution, if you’ll pardon the multidimensional-revolutionary pun.

Pursuit connotes suffering. Like striving, being in pursuit of something is really just another unattainable craving because the pursuit of something (such as an attached mental concept) never really happens.

Or if it does happen that you manifest, reach your goal or get what you want . . . chances are that you missed the magical moments of the process as they unfolded because you were still in hot pursuit of reaching your lofty ideal.

Perhaps you identify with a dystopian view of your lowest self portrait. Comedian George Carlin captured the sentiment in my favorite one-liner by stating, “if my goal is to fail and I succeed, which have I done?”

Happiness is seeing beyond the smoke and mirrors, bells and whistles, and bling in the world of 10,000 things.

Happiness is the radical self-acceptance that an interplay between form and formless are always flowing together. Happiness as a way of life lives in a space that transcends the clinging and grasping to our judgments, justifications and mental concepts.

Like the old saying, it’s the journey not the destination.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Remembering Feeling Inspired By An Old College Professor’s Wisdom

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?

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Elderly professor smoking a pipe sitting at a wooden desk with books and papers

As this writer reflects on this writing prompt, he looks back on the time when his 20ish year old self was hearing prophetic wisdom from one of his favorite teachers during his tenure as a college student.

Mr. Easton was an English professor, a writer and a charismatically eccentric man. And I have come to believe, as he did, that everyone has a writer living within their Being.

Further, during an Advanced Composition class; it was late in the Spring semester, and for many of us, our college careers were winding down. Because Mr. Easton was a very present person, he probably sensed our anxieties about our prospective unknown futures, saw the teachable moment, and deviated from the class lesson plan.

Footnote: Unlike most of the professors at my Alma Mater at that time, Easton did not have his Ph.D. And yet to many of us, he was among the smartest and most engaging teachers on the faculty.

Back To School . . . Near the tail end of one particular class, Easton elaborated on how we should “hang in there, I promise . . . you’ll see that in your 30s, it starts to get better.”

Of course that’s true and it’s not true. There are no guarantees. If we don’t work at our mental health, then our mental health issues just don’t magically go away.

Speaking of Polaroids, another Kodak moment featrured Easton encouraging us to “take lots of pictures” at various family events, “because people get older and you never knew who would still be around at the next gathering.” He emphasized that the gatherings were important experiences, as well as good opportunities to capture moments through pictures, and then tell stories to remember our connections and loved ones.

Since that time, Easton’s wisdom still sounds true. Moreover, I serve it up to my 20 year old self; as well to all of the 20 year old selves out there making the track through life. While it’s cool to be in the moment, it’s important to have a longitudinal view in life.

Keep in mind that there is something to be said for hanging in there. Get up. Stand Up. Find your passion. Nobody else is going to do it for you. But everyone needs a little hurdle help sometimes. We’re hear to lift each other up rather than tear each other down.

Or like the Beastie Boys sentimental anthem, you gotta fight for your right to party!

And you can’t to that in this incarnation unless you are still breathing!

Nowadays, I use meditation to time travel back to my old self by envisioning peaceful, calming thoughts; coupled with a gentle and soft heartfelt approach of self-compassion that includes a forgiving attitude of gratitude and radical acceptance for what is.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Time For A Siesta

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

What’s a cultural tradition from another country that you wish existed in yours?

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Woman sitting cross-legged on cushion meditating amid candles and salt lamps

“America Runs On Dunkin’.”

With no disrespect, the above quote is a bold and telling commercial mantra that’s not something to brag about.

Speaking of programming, how clear is it to everyone that societal conditioning, or in this case the power of corporate propaganda, is captured in the above quote?

Then again, consider the source and the message brewing behind it, if you’ll pardon the pun.

This writer really enjoys allowing for paradoxical thinking to percolate on the truth that just because I’m pro-rest does not mean I’m anti-caffeine.

Consider the cultural tradition of the Spanish word Siesta.

Moreover, further exploration of siesta’s lineage derives from the Latin phrase hora sexta.

Because in the ancient Roman system, the sixth hour was roughly considered the middle of the day.

Ah, Rome . . . The Eternal City. “When in Rome.”

Historically, siestas are common in warm-weather zones like the Mediterranean (especially Spain), Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia

Often taken after a large midday meal, siesta is a cultural practice designed to avoid the intense heat of the afternoon and recharge for the rest of the day

In many towns that observe the tradition, the workday is split. Businesses and shops close for a few hours in the early afternoon, allowing workers to go home, share a large meal, and rest before returning to work until the evening.

Personally, I have a strong value that supports the value of rest. No need to fight against being tired. We all need down time where performance isn’t the focus.

And while any good value shouldn’t necessarily be mandated, the idea of taking a Siesta should be encouraged, incentivized and integrated within the framework of a systemic, developmentally healthy program design and paradigm.

I have always been intrigued by the idea of taking a siesta, catnap or what modern researchers call the power nap.

Furthermore, many of us have heard stories that align with modern pro-health research that concludes that a short 20-to-30 minute power nap can significantly boost cognitive function, reduce stress, and improve alertness.

Back in early Elementary School, I remember when we experienced a version of siesta that was generally part of our daily routine. After lunch & recess (my favorite part of the day), we would reintegrate back into our classroom to rest in a designated personal space, where the lights remained off and we were expected to be quiet.

In fact, some of us had fun pretending to be asleep, maybe some fake snoring or real farting, you get the drift. Funny, some of us pretending to take a nap actually ended up falling asleep without realizing it.

Social Learning Theory in action. Imagine that.

People weren’t calling it teaching siesta as a healthy transitional form of co-regulation back then. And yet, that’s exactly what it was.

Interestingly, the siesta is a time-tested tradition that remains a working cornerstone of cultural heritage.

Of course globalization and modern work schedules have caused the daily multi-hour closure of businesses to decline in larger cities.

There’s nothing wrong with taking action, performing tasks or drinking caffeine.

And yet building in rest and downtime into our everyday routine carries with it a power not to be underestimated.

Time to take a Siesta!

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Facing Our Fears & Self-Doubts

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Calm lake at twilight with tree silhouettes and crescent moon

Facing our fears and self-doubts is not always easy.

But then again, I’m sure that fits into the no shit category.

Speaking of fecal matter…without it, there would be no compost to mulch in the gardens of our inner tapestries.

From a consciousness perspective, we have to be willing to get our hands dirty, get down with the stink, and venture into the cave’s darkness so that we can awaken the light to experience the sustenance of life.

This cyclical process is the power of alchemy.

Furthermore, it is even harder to avoid facing our fears and self-doubts head on by getting seduced by our projections of them.

What I mean by that it is that scarier to think about the mights that tend to rise to the surface of our consciousness when we entertain our fears and self-doubts.

Just as an example, saying to yourself, “if I do this, then the chips might fall here or there and that will be terrifying, out of my control and I can’t have that.”

Like a toddler, the experience makes it tempting to close your eyes and say, “I’m not listening!”

From this place, spiritual bypassing appears to be a preferable path of least resistance by avoiding facing our fears and self-doubts and examining them directly.

But with faith and trust, sometimes we just need to surrender to the Universe and let the chips fall where they may for growth to occur.

However, at the end of the day…it takes more energy to put a band-aid on the wound of fear and self-doubt than it does to examine their origins with radical curiosity, empathy, forgiveness, and self-acceptance.

It is possible; as well as a real felt-sense experience to be kind to our minds, and learn to be gentle on ourselves.

As humans, we all get insecure.

Of course, it does appear easier to fear what we don’t understand.

That’s why self-examination and awareness are key dynamics to allowing the light to illuminate the shadows.

Just as an example, I know someone close to me who made a conscious choice to “stay poor” as a way to mitigate his greed.

But greed is merely a part of the human condition and an emotional reality that visits us periodically.

And yet, to deny any emotion or feeling just energizes it; as in what we resist persists.

Like any thoughts, we don’t get rid of greed by pretending it isn’t there, pushing it away or trying to throw it in the trash.

Moreover, these have been institutional isms, or ‘Good Ole Boy’ forms have been set up by the Establishment to protect forms of oppression. Denial of them just perpetuates more oppression. The Code of Silence is designed to keep them hidden and therefore unexamined.

Truly, I remember thinking that way when the voice of trauma was more in control of my life. Identification with that voice became a security in my consciousness, like a pacifier or binky that helps an infant soothe themself when their neurological system is compromised. It’s that experience that many adults know that is captured by the statement, “I don’t feel safe!”

That line of thinking begs the question…

Do I want to merely exist in a bubble during my time here or do I want to really live?

Moving past our clever excuses and getting out of our comfort zone promotes the Constitutional Preamble’s General Welfare of experiencing life’s bounty.

Happiness as a way of life recognizes that all the reflections in the mirror are revealing the wisdom of awareness.

May all Beings be in alignment with God Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Unity Consciousness, Diversity within Unity, Inner Peace and the Universal Pillars of Love and Truth.

Ari

A Positive Thing A Family Member Has Done For Me

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Elderly man handing grocery bags to a woman and child at the door

I remember when Grandfather would sometimes stop by for a surprise visit with some bags of groceries during my Elementary School days.

There was plenty more good that he did while our lifetimes intersected, but this experience still lights up my soul to this day.

Grandfather was a gifted storyteller, witty and could be charming. But more often than not, he was stoic, humble, the strong silent time, and didn’t do drama.

But he had a big presence, and when he showed up, he would smile and say something like, “well, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought maybe you guys could use some groceries.” At that time in my life, my Grandparents didn’t live more than a 5 minute drive away.

Of course like we’ve all heard; growing up being raised by a single parent wasn’t easy for me, nor is it on anyone else.

But extended family played a significant role in my life, and this example of how Grandfather looked out for us has always stuck with me.

During this time period in their life cycle, my maternal grandparents were in a more comfortable position in their lives financially. By this time, they were empty nesters, expanded their social network, and had the opportunity to travel the planet and experience different cultures. I always appreciated how they would often bring me back a new t-shirt that I would proudly sport at school. Fashion has never been my bug, but I always felt like those t-shirts externally reinforced my intrinsic uniqueness.

Grandfather had been orphaned by the untimely death of both of his parents by the time he was 19. He would always say that “we were poor but didn’t know we were poor. We had food to eat, and we played and had fun as kids.” And then he would always say that Grandmother grew up a different kind of poor, as in, Appalachia like abject poverty. She never saw a dentist till she was 18, when she walked in a clinic off the street with bleeding gums and no money to pay for dental care.

These days, many people, like my own daughter, still tend to call themselves adults by 18 or so. But the truth is that we are still adolescents till our mid-20s from a developmental and psychological perspective.

College wasn’t an option for either of my grandparents or their peers from their old St. Louis neighborhoods back then. Later in life, they would tell stories about their newer peer network who went to college, how they had dreamed about their own children going to college someday, and then me by the time I came along.

Parenting back then; especially for folks that grew up like my grandparents, involved a lot of financial stress and winging it. Of course there’s still plenty of all that in parenthood today.

As I got older, I remember asking Grandfather about consciously envisioning a life plan or planned parenthood back when they were starting out as a couple. And Grandfather would chuckle and say, “naw…but sometimes we’d look around and say, what the hell are we doing with all these kids?”

These days, many folks are familiar with the term Food Insecurity to describe the anxiety that connects to the insecurity about when or where your next meal might come from, if at all.

In my case, I had the good fortune to grow up around all kinds of people from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Some of my peers at school arrived from other lands with English not being their first language. At that time, the land we all lived in was called the MidWest.

And it wasn’t lost on me that I was only a fragile step away from what some of my peers were going through, who were part of the Cycle of Poverty, on the fringe or falling through the cracks.

But the difference in my case was that I was privileged to have someone like Grandfather looking out for my mom and me.

Finally, it is with a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude that I feel for the way that Grandfather chose to look after us, even though he wasn’t obligated to.

Having Fun With Exercise

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

What’s the most fun way to exercise?

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Outdoor wellness activities including aerial yoga, massage, and battle rope exercise by a lakeside pavilion

“Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor”

–William Cowper

Like the quote above, I really need to mix it up when playing around with a consistent everyday exercise routine.

What I mean by that is that I have more fun by following a balanced game plan that involves consistency, predictability and structure. Including healthy doses of novelty is also key.

It’s fun to get started by cutting up a fresh lemon and lime and spring water to put in my water bottle, which helps me get in a good mindset for the day.

And then taking supplements while preparing a hearty smoothie with fresh fruit, kale and protein & green superfood powders helps me get into the exercise vibe. It’s fun creating a proactive base smoothie tincture with the powders, gut support and serums good for the neurological system.

The travel ninja blender has become a good friend.

Nowadays, I enjoy physically going to a community gym and working on the various new equipment because it’s a nice way to connect with like minded people who are on familiar roads along the journey in healing.

Besides, it’s good to have somewhere to go because I know what I’m there to do, and look forward to being in a social environment that encourages this kind of human behavior.

If possible, I like to start out by warming up in a standing foot vibrating light therapy machine.

And then after that I typically use some of the other equipment for resistance training. I don’t lift heavy weights anymore but enjoy getting in my resistance training with low impact weight lifting.

After that, I prefer getting in my cardio primarily on the elliptical machine and treadmill; perhaps also some biking to cool down and stretch or maybe a rowing machine.

For the sake of creativity, it’s fun to design my own format by increasing and decreasing the speeds and tension on the machines periodically when I intuitively feel moved to do so.

It’s helpful to exercise mindfully by checking my heart rate, noticing how long and far I’ve traveled and how many calories I’ve burned.

My favorite part is cooling down with the massage machines before I leave the gym. On my ride back home, I’m already looking forward to drawing a bubble bath with epsom salt to relax and sooth sore muscles.

On alternative days, I like getting out on the trails for a good hike, mixed in with a mid-point sitting meditation to connect with Nature and the animals or going for a run and ending with jumping rope.

There’s a College nearby with a track, so I’m looking forward to getting in a little track work here and there as the Spring temps continue to warm. I like to run walk jog as a way to work in a little lather, build cardio and get the heart rate up and down.

Another fun way to follow an exercise routine is to warm up and cool down with a little T’ai chi and Qigong.

And how could I forget the training montage below. The visuals and soundtrack are forever imprinted in the mirror of my mind as shown in the video below:

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

A Crazy Business Idea For Co-creating A Beautiful New World

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

Come up with a crazy business idea.

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Imagine a freethinking society where everyone meditates because it is a common core value that is built into a new systemic normal where energy is freely shared and exchanged. I know it sounds so Celestine Prophecy and all (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

But in this paradigm, we are operating from a liberated state of consciousness; where our Oneness and interconnection are regularly understood, and are self-evident in our day to day operations.

We will still differentiate and respect boundaries, but we do that without seeing ourselves or anything else for that matter as separate or disconnected. Different strokes, for different folks.

From this perspective, the institutionalized isms, trashing the park, wars, violence, gang banging, organized crime, the so called legitimate maximum-economic profit capitalist conditioning, economic strangulations, and the need to control each other fades away, and is released into a black hole in the Universe. It doesn’t get killed or die, it just transforms.

It’s like letting go of a balloon or blowing bubbles as a kid with positive self talk forms traveling within those thought forms as they float away into the depths of the Universe.

Reminds me of a longitudinal connective friend who recently told me he has been “sober from the news for over a year.” Even better to hear was that he was experiencing levity from unplugging, and commented that he doesn’t feel the charge he once did about others when discussing politics and other mistakes as portrayed on the news feeds. Funny, over two decades ago, the same friend told me he wanted to learn how to levitate. Ah, like a good folk song, psychic development can get the job done without the frills.

It’s hard to go wrong with peaceful, calming thoughts folks. And you can focus on them more when you are not seduced into the mainstream media behavioral trap.

Speaking of the aforementioned Jame’s Redfield’s classic book, and subsequent film, I really appreciate the author’s intention of The Celestine Prophecy to inspire readers to “reclaim their power from dominant authorities and dysfunctional relationships: not via political or legal action but through a personalized spirituality that portrays life as a meaningful journey toward self-actualization.”

Alas, the ego doesn’t understand this dimensional frequency vibration because it can’t control it. What?

Just as an example, we all know that we have created a lot of trash in the park. And we have produced more humans with more disposables. But even with waste management, imagine compressing the empty matter of trash in a way that literally opens up space.

Once the new space is cleared and opened, the possibilities are endless. What used to look like a dump, landfill, transfer station or recycling center is no longer taking up space that appears as an eyesore. You wouldn’t even know it’s there anymore because now the space has transformed into a garden variety of new forms that reveal new growth. This is yet another win-win solution that only looks crazy in an insane paradigm.

Without the need to make a profit off of destructive and dissasterous forces, a more playful and balanced form of cooperative competition takes place. It’s less like competing against each other where there’s winners and losers. It wasn’t till I was in my mid-20s till I heard the saying, if you had fun, then you won.

In much the same way as in T’ai Chi Push Hands, avoiding conflict and getting along with each other is more about knowing when to lead and when to follow by listening and being sensitive to each other’s energy. Just as an example, a verbal assault is met with non-resistance and knowing that standing in your personal authority means that it’s ok to walk away. But in this crazy business idea, there is no need for an assault of any kind because the deeply engrained and conditioned human patterns are blown away like the old Oklahoma Dust Bowl days. When teaching his beloved T’ai Chi classes, past students of Professor Cheng used to say that he would emphasize to “be like a ghost.” This is akin to the idea (and more importantly the perceptible experience) of emptying the mind, or creating spaciousness (a more accurate translation)… or like mindfulness or presence (a more accurate translation). Check out the brief silent clip below to get a feel for his demonstrations:

On a subatomic level, forms are paradoxically mostly empty and formless anyway. Of course we know that from a brain science perspective that most of what we see only includes a fraction of what’s really going on before our eyes.

There’s deep dive wisdom behind the truth that things will appear as they truly are when the doors of perception are cleansed.

In the Billy Carson meditation clip below, he has created a beautifully powerful meditation with relaxing music in the background. I feel that it captures and amplifies the sentiment. Please enjoy taking a closer look and allowing yourself to get into the spirit of this meditation:

Cat & Mouse Is What I Do

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Ari Joshua Bouse under Mindfulness, Uncategorized

Daily writing prompt

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

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I remember when I embarked on an adventurous family reunion in Italy many years ago, and one of my cousins looked at me, and said, “Ari, is it fun in there?” She was referencing my mind, and made this comment after I cracked a barrage of puns, and other theatrical wit. Perhaps if my Italiano was better, then I could have disguised my cornball humor so that it would have read like a foreign language.

And then many moons later, I worked for a new School Principal who brought with her a book called Fish Philosophy into the school community we worked in together at the time. As our new administrator, she built in Fish Philosophy into our staff professional development to enact cultural norms encouraging us to “choose your attitude” and “make their day.”

The theme of Fish Philosophy is simple and was adopted from the famous fish market in Seattle, where the workers throw fish at each other, customers and have fun doing it. Imagine that . . . work and play going together, and that we have a choice in whether we do that or not in the school of life. Before I even read any of the book, a new coworker came up to me after a work related training, and made it a point to tell me that he had started reading the book, and said that I was a good role model of the book’s theme.

https://www.pikeplacefish.com/about

Since before I came out of the womb, I’m sure the cat and mouse part of my personality wasn’t part of my hidden self. As a boy, my mom said that I liked it when she read to me in the womb. Truly, I was probably already acting out the characters that she was reading to me. Most of the trouble I got into in school by teachers, and later in sports by coaches was my clowning around with people, and finding parody and jest in the everyday mundane encounters.

For example, one of my favorite coping strategies to introduce to kids (and adults) is the idea of imagining that the business of life is like playing a video game in your head. It’s been since I was in Middle School that I was a regular video game player, but when I came across that strategy, it resonated in me and many other students I worked with over the years. The Tai Chi classes I have taken also emphasized and embodied the idea of playing with form.

These days, most people expect to be entertained, and typically by someone or something else that they perceive to be outside of themselves; as in an external object of affection, like a pacifier. But the real trick is to discover ways to play with life. As other people take notice, it does tend to become contagious.

Just as an example, I like to play around with mindful breathing during a workout or exercise routine because it brings you into the present moment. Breathing mindfully also makes the workout or exercise routine feel less like work, exercise or a routine for that matter. And when I play my guitar, that’s all I’m doing is playing. It’s more fun that way.