Creating Happiness at Will

I just read something in Thich Nhat Hanh's "Your True Home" that really jumped out at me:

Suppose you are offered a cup of tea, very fragrant, very good tea. If your mind is distracted, you cannot really enjoy the tea. You have to be mindful of the tea, you have to be concentrated on it, so the tea can reveal its fragrance and wonder to you. That is why mindfulness and concentration are such sources of happiness. That's why a good practitioner knows how to create a moment of joy, a feeling of happiness, at any time of the day. (#6)

Something inside of me jumped up and said YIPPPPPEEEEEE!!! when reading this, because this captures exactly what I am trying to do, discover, experience in this Standing Still Experiment which of course is all about mindfulness.

I am wanting, yearning for a stripping away of the old, deluded thoughts and feelings that have been governing my actions for years and years. I want to be in the PRESENT, not bemoaning the past or harboring fear about the future. I am wanting to be able to create these moments of joy and happiness throughout my days, at will, intentionally, because I CHOOSE to feel joy, because I CHOOSE to be present and mindful and attentive.

And every time I remember and choose to stand still, to pause, to let go of past and future and simple BE here, right now... I am choosing to feel joy because the wonder of each present moment brings joy to my heart.

This is why, when we went to the vet's on July 15, 2011 to put dearly beloved Sasha to sleep because of her seizures, I was able to not be torn apart by sorrow. I was able to be present right there, with her and the vet and his assistant and my husband. I chose to stand still even in the face of such heavy sadness. And lots of truths broke through for me. Spirit was so close to me. I felt on the edge of both worlds and even though staying in the present moment was excruciatingly painful, it was also almost unbearably filled with light.