Letter to the Editor

Sometimes everything feels so still as if nothing is moving.  Then the gears that I am start to move showing me the next step to take.  This is a solitary process as I watch, listen and reach out to attract others to join me on a Happy Team.  This process is Feminine in its stillness and Masculine in its action.  And neither one is attached to the outcome since ego is not involved.

I sent the following letter to the editor of our Woodinville paper, Chamber of Commerce leaders, city council members, business owners and friends.  I have received several positive responses.

Woodinville Happiness Initiative

I’m interested in a vision for Woodinville that can bring out the best in all of us and help us get beyond the “me versus you and us versus them” divisions that separate us.  I think the Happiness Initiative can do that. 

Thanks to the tiny country of Bhutan the Gross National Happiness framework was launched through the United Nations using nine domains of happiness:  physical health; psychological well-being; time or work-life balance; social connection and community vitality; education; access to arts, culture and recreation; environmental quality and access to nature; good governance; and material well-being.              

As a result Seattle was inspired to create the Happiness Initiative that provides a 10-minute online survey (www.happycounts.org) using the domains to measure happiness both individually and collectively as a city.  Besides Seattle the cities of Victoria, BC and Eau Claire, Wisconsin have measured their happiness indicators. 

Could we launch a Woodinville Happiness Initiative and announce the survey results at our Celebrate Woodinville event in August, 2013? And then could we have town hall meetings to celebrate what makes us happy and discuss ways to improve those areas that are not so happy?

We welcome your input and invite you to join us for an upbeat and informative 9-minute film from KCTS/9 TV called Measuring Happiness.  It will be held Thursday, November 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Health Moves on 17211 135th Avenue NE, Ste. C-800 here in Woodinville. 

If you support this vision and want to help put it into action (one to four hours a week depending on your time balance) please contact Trish at sammamishvalley.trish@gmail.com.  We welcome you on our Woodinville Happy Team.

 

Trish Knox

The Happiness Initiative