Money, sun make Aussies a happy bunch

Money, sun make Aussies a happy bunch :

"A truckload of cash, the right to vote and some damn fine weather - this is what researchers say makes Australians some of the happiest people in the world."

This article is a counter to another article in Britain which claimed we were not very happy. I find the statistical basis for all the comments a bit weird and the article itself has made some good points but none too seriously. It made me wonder myself if we are happy or miserable as a whole. I haven't had a chance to get into town for a while, but I hear the pressure is on there and that service and sales assistants are both rather short. Could be all sorts of reasons. My current experience, locally, is that the people behind the counters continue to be very pleasant and I should have said even happier than before. Maybe something is going on in town or it's the pressure of all the festivities just getting people too tired and worn out. Are we a happy nation? I should say that yes, basically we are. Most people don't seem to like it hot which is odd considering they live in Australia. They prefer cooler days. Not everyone likes the blue skies. Many love the clouds and the rain. Most people seem to be pleased when it's raining. Not me, I like the sun. Not everyone needs heaps of money and not everyone has heaps of money but I guess most of us have enough money to meet our daily needs and the concern is that, with the shifting of wealth upwards, some would be brought into a state of misery which is unwarranted in a country like ours where there is enough money for everyone. We can get into the car and just drive. Drive and drive and drive. That makes people happy. We have a great range of places to eat and some pretty good food. Shut people in an enclosed space, throw in some balloons, drinks and some food and we can just party on. We can find the hugeness of nature and the great, grand silences. We can go up high and see everything or go to the coast and look out for miles and miles and be the only one there. We can hear the crackling of the bush and we can see the redness fo the earth. Then we can just come back and shop till we drop, or sit quietly in our homes. Most homes are pretty nice here. Then people like to talk . They don't necessarily say much if they don't know you, but in a familiar group people talk about all sorts of things and then, then is a very child like side to Australians - a very happy go lucky I am not going to take anything seriously for a while side. Some people think we are a bit silly, but we are not and and some people think we are a bit loud, but you can make us quiet if you ask. Mostly people can be who they want and if they want to take off on the great trip around Australia they can go off knowing they will have a great adventure. Or people can just do the daily living keeping it all under control. It's actually quite hard to know what makes us happy...because I think we are happy most of the time. Football. Friends. Gasbagging on the phone. Our electronic toys and garden gadgets. The new coffee machine that does everything. We are happier now. We weren't happy. Maybe the British results were taken then. We have been through a period of profound unhappiness, but we have got it sorted now and are back on track...and that's Australian, getting yourself back on track and when you are, you are happy and we are on track most of the time.