I have to shake some negative ish from my bones, and now (shuddering). Tragic events on the planet (fortunately, the world is coming to an end on Friday, so there is that), hateful trolling comments on blogs I read, too many traffic accidents on my evening commute lately, etc. Today I just want everyone to be happy. We need to get happy (cue David Cassidy and Shirley Jones in velvet jumpsuits). Kick sadness to the curb today. Good bye. Auf Wiedersehen. Hejdå. Au Revoir. さよなら.
Looking back through some of my posts from 2009, when I was unemployed for a brief time and worried, stressed to the max, I can see where I tried cheering myself up, forcing myself to put on a happy face and keep going. God, I was annoying. I was not happy. Just trying to play along.
Annoying or not, chin in the air people. Let's talk happiness.
I think some people are afraid to be happy and there is not a thing wrong with that. Happiness means change and (string of cliches headed your way, and I'm sorry) change is scary, but
Anyway, I can talk a good game about embracing change and being happy, but it's almost always easier said than done. Why? Because our rocks are indeed warm and comfortable. Crawl out. Someone once told me, "Courage is being scared to death to do something, but plowing ahead anyway." Thank you KW, I haven't forgotten.
We just have to shake a stick at our own fears, and sometimes that can be satisfying in a way we could never have imagined. At first, it's scary, but then, it isn't. Happy.
If you aren't living the life you want to be living, right now, then check yourself and make a plan. I'm doing this along with you, because trust you me, I'm no fan of change, but now I shake hands with Mr. Change more often than I punch him. We've learned to agree to disagree, but then I follow him anyway. Club. Dragging by hair.
We all have pain, or have experienced pain, physically and/or emotionally. Pain is part of life, but for Pete's sake people, don't just "accept" it and not do what you can to move beyond it. Happiness is so much more fun than sadness. More people will be at that party, so get over you own stuff, and get there.
Reverting back to the emotions of something we experienced previously when we are stressed or afraid is normal. We all do it. I do it. The brain simply goes into survival mode, like it did when we were children. Stop doing that. I'm working on that myself. If we keep referring back to our 'crosses to bear' or our traumas/dramas that, we feel, make us who we are, then we aren't moving toward emotionally mature adulthood, but we sure feel sufficiently martyred, don't we (Poseidon loves using that phrase)? I ain't no Joan of Arc.
I'm not telling you to fake happy, I'm telling you to be happy. Takes work. Isn't easy. Some were dealt a better hand than others to begin with, but the end result is what counts. We all have challenges and we will fail at some things and succeed at others. People are complicated like that. Please don't take every fail as an opportunity to throw in the towel. Small goals, easily obtainable, are what we need to start with. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask. Again, scary, but worth it.
Let's be happier people, ok? Happier people challenge their should-centric view of life. Let's do that.
If you could wake up tomorrow morning, and have the "happiest day ever," what would it look like? Seriously challenge yourself. Take a breath...truly think about...then start jotting down your thoughts without stopping (the last time I did this, I said I wanted to make some of my own clothes, and I ended up buying a sewing machine).
--Amphitrite
I found one of my annoying happy posts from 2009: Happiness Molecules! Oh, and here, I'll leave this for your entertainment...
