As we head into this (for me, joyfully) sweaty, salty time of year I was thinking about the following quote from Isak Dinesen: “The cure for anything is salt water—sweat, tears, or the sea.”

Why do I love it so much? And, more importantly, why do I believe it to be true?

Frankly, I love its simplicity. Too many of us race around trying to understand, assimilate, and finance whatever magic elixir has been espoused this week by the current gods of happy work/relationships/families. In doing so, it’s easy to forget that we already have control over these things—we control our happiness.

How do we control it? We control it by working for it (sweat), by standing up for it (some people call this fighting…possibly because there are, occasionally, tears) by praying for it (also, occasionally, a tearful time) or by stepping away and allowing ourselves to gain some perspective regarding it: for that (for me) there is nothing comparable to looking out at the unbroken line of horizon provided by the sea.

So as June winds down, and July begins, I recommend allowing yourself to luxuriate in sweat, salt and—hopefully—the sea.

To your happiness,

Frances Cole Jones