Don’t Worry, Be Happy

I’ve never really liked that Bobby McFerrin song Don’t Worry, Be Happy with all it’s high-pitched, repetitive tootling, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate the sentiment expressed in the song.

We all do worry about things, don’t we? I could worry for the Olympics, truth be told (and I’d probably win the gold.)

But some things take our worries away long enough for us to catch our breath. And they are often standing right outside our front door.

Like cherry blossom, a little bit wild and abandoned looking but pretty, nonetheless.

When I saw this cherry blossom the other day I thought of that scene from Sleeping Beauty where the Prince is trying to get to the castle and is hacking through the brambles and hedgerows all buff and looking like a cross between Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp and covered in blood and sweat while wielding an enormous, shining sword (Holy hot stuff, somebody pass the smelling salts…..)

And I thought that if the cherry blossoms had grown among the brambles they could have acted as a signpost for the prince so that he knew he was cutting in the right place and it wouldn’t be long until he reached the princess of his dreams. And he also wouldn’t have had to work so hard and take his shirt off to cool down thus causing a group of milkmaids to swoon and spill their milk as they were walking by; consequently not meeting their daily quota of milk and spoiling the farmer’s dinner (little known part of the tale.)

Seeing the city across the water makes me happy, especially when the afternoon light bedecks it with majestic gold. What if it really had turned to gold?  I wonder how difficult it would be to prise the side off one of those buildings…..

WILLY WAGTAIL. WILLY WAGTAIL. You cute, little, jolly chubster. I smile every time I see one of these birds. They really are joyful spirits.

I really like this boat I see every now and then in the bay. It’s quite retro, don’t you think? I always scan the decks hoping to see someone in one of those white Ursula Andress bikinis – but no such luck.

This flower appeared among the undergrowth, pushing its way towards the sun and it made me think how glad we feel at the moment when we’ve been struggling and struggling and eventually catch a glimpse of blue sky.

No happy scene in my life would be complete without the Anzac Bridge. Yes, it’s bridge love all the way for me.

So stop your worries for a moment and take in some sights and scenes that make you happy. And with a bit of luck once you’ve seen the things that make you happy, that lift your spirits, your worries won’t seem quite as bad as they did before.