You don’t need to be a poet to be interesting

I think one of the nice things about animals is that they’re unapologetically themselves. When I was growing up, my mom sometimes told me this quote from a Russian poet: “I’m a poet, and because of this, I am interesting.”

Today marked the last day of a book club discussing this book called “New Happy.” This book makes the case that we believe 3 lies that keep us from happiness:

1. I’m broken
2. I’ll be happy when…
3. We need to do it alone

“I’m a poet, and because of this, I am interesting” is the line of thinking that says: to be worthy, you must be accomplished.

Well, a dog or cat doesn’t need to be a poet. The kitten sitting in front of my keyboard right now purring and wearing a cone is content being a purring furball. She’s not telling herself that she’ll only be interesting after she gets her MFA and first collection of poems published.

I had this moment of realization this morning: what if I stopped believing that I need to become something magical and accomplished in the future to be happy. What if I was enough right here and now, just as I am?

My body relaxed.

I like to write poems, but I don’t need to be “a poet.” I like science, but I don’t need to be “a scientist.” I can be a poet or scientist, but kind of as a byproduct of pursuing what I like and what the world needs. Not as a way to “be interesting.” I’m interesting just as I am.

I can let the soft animal of my body be the soft animal that it is. No need to contort myself into some mythic future X. Happiness is right here and now.