talk not to me of summer trees..

                 d'après Modigliani

In sleep he sang to me, 
in dreams he came ... 
that voice which calls to me and speaks my name ...

a story is told as much by silence as by speech..

I found you and I lost you, all on a golden day..

~Paul Laurence Dunbar

Five guiding principles to boost happiness based on age-old concepts of happiness from great religious thinkers and philosophers.

• Develop and use your virtues and strengths in daily life. Psychologists have identified six virtues or core characteristics that are universally valued: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. "When you play from your strengths, you are likely to feel more energetic and perform better than when you are trying to use a capacity that comes less naturally,'' Siegel writes in his guide. If you don't know which of these core strengths you are best at, Siegel suggests asking someone who knows you well.
• Gratitude. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish positive experiences, have better health and understand how to deal with adversity. Gratitude helps you focus on what you have instead of what you lack, according to Siegel.Siegel suggests keeping a gratitude journal to write down everything you are thankful for each day.
• Savoring pleasure or savoring the moment. Appreciating the treasures in life, big and small, helps build happiness. Let yourself be happy when you complete a project or when something goes well, Siegel recommends.
• Flow, or becoming engaged in an activity. In studies, people have reported feeling the greatest satisfaction when they are totally immersed in the task at hand. Athletes call this being "in the zone." "This means using our talents, whatever they may be - our capacity to sing or perform athletically - at a level commensurate with our skills so we can experience ‘flow,'" Siegel said.
• Live a meaningful life. Accomplishing this varies according to the individual. It may be giving your life meaning through religious beliefs, by having children or making a positive contribution to the community, the world, or the health and well-being of others. "We need to notice our inter-relationship with others," Siegel said. "It's a matter of devoting ourselves to something larger."