"Your Happiness Lies Within"

I remember my Mom telling me, "Your happiness lies within you" when I was only twenty years old. I thought I understood what she was saying, but I didn't know how to get there. I was still relying on outside things to make me happy - more money, the right man, a new car, a different job. I had yet to learn what contentment was.
Perhaps age has something to do with being happy. We want so much when we are younger. When we are older, we want/need less. This was proven to me when I purged at least three-fourths of my 'stuff' before moving to Creston. I am so much happier without that baggage. I love having cupboards and closets that still have room. I did not/do not need five sets of dishes and every item of clothing I had bought in the last 25 years.
There is an expression about "finding your inner child" which has some truth to it. I have discovered that some of what makes me feel happy today are the same things that I enjoyed in childhood. I distinctly remember a time in my late 30's when I was at Mom's, possibly when we were doing the chores when her hand was hurt. I had started the pump to fill the tank and went out to check on it. It was early morning, there was a light rain falling. The tank wasn't quite full so I stood there watching and waiting for it to fill. I was absolutely overcome with a feeling of such immense joy just standing there in the rain. I could trace it back to playing in the rain as a child.
Our middle years are so crammed with work and responsibility it is hard to carve out time for oneself. Which is probably why it is easier to be happy as we age - we have time for ourselves. For me, being outside in nature brings the most contentment.
I hope all of you can find your own "happiness from within".