Walker samples happiness in Marble Falls

GLYNIS CRAWFORD SMITH

THE HIGHLANDER

The phrase Gross National Happiness (GNH) may have been coined in 1972 by Bhutan's fourth Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck as an option to gross domestic product (GDP) in measuring what is important to the country’s citizens, but the idea is not wasted on the West today.

Paula Francis was in Marble Falls this week and you may even have met her—the lady with the safety orange vest emblazoned with “Happinesswalk.com.”

Francis and friends from her home in Vermont visited Bhutan in the Himalayan mountains and it made her stop and think seriously about happiness.

An initial seven week walk to explore the idea with others has grown into a pursuit, Happiness Walk USA. About 50 people have joined her explorations to gather stories from interviews along a 2,800-mile trek through 14 states, and still counting.

“It has become an organization here in the US to generate conversation about what matters and how we develop it,” she said. “Obviously, happiness is a personal choice. You can walk in any book store and see rows of books about how to achieve it. But it also can be a condition in the country if you promote health and wellbeing.

“If you ask people what matters to them, not surprisingly, the first thing that comes to peoples minds is family,” she said. “But what do we do; what choices do we make for what matters? Do we take enough time for what matters?”

There are other answers, of course. For some, it is one special person, activity or organization. For many, it is the welfare of animals. That is the passion of the president of the board of directors of Happiness Walk USA and the focus she realized through walk conversations.  Many people say helping others matters most.

“I just met a volunteer at the Marble Falls Visitor Center to moved here because of family and he's volunteering to help others.”

The extent of the volunteer community in Marble Falls had her pen flying through her notebook as she planned visits in the area with her host family (one has been found everywhere she has traveled). She was delighted to find Real New Orleans Restaurant was founded by a committed group that actually landed here from another of her most recent stops in Louisiana.

Francis promised to share some of her stories collected locally, after her team transcribes, archives and analyzes them. You may find them among the many posted to her Facebook page. Better yet, she hopes we have our own conversations and thankful reflections about what matters, what makes us truly happy and how we can plan our lives around them.

Learn more on the organization's website is www.happinesswalk.com.  And, just what makes you happy? Share a picture or a story with The Highlander on Facebook ( http://bit.ly/1MZW51U ) or by email, newscopy@highlandernews.com.