When I was a teenager, well, maybe younger, maybe 12, I would get irritable easy. I think it was a normal girl thing that girls go through around 12 years old.
I would get irritated about something and say, "That is not fair!" my dad, within hearing, would respond with, "If life were Fair, I'd be King."
This was often, especially, If I were busy working away in the garden while my siblings were in my opinion, not doing anything productive, same response would come from my dad.
Another famous saying my dad would say to me, Happy People are Happier.
From my life experiences, I have had many, I learned something universal.
We can choose to be happy.
There are many things that we can count on in this life. Our Human Experience in this life is hard sometimes. Many of us face trials and hardships, and honestly, there is a lot of suffering in this life.
I have somewhat a story of two sisters.
These two sisters, one is older and one younger, had a really sad life.
Their mother, who married a kind and handsome man, left the family, (the father, these two sisters) and with out a word, the two little girls were so little they to this day have no memory of their mother holding them.
The father married a woman who, in my opinion was very cruel, very unkind and the two little girls were raised in an environment of sadness, and a lot of heartbreak.
One of the sisters ran away from home at a younger age, and ended up trying to make her own way in life, with her amazing gift as a dress maker.
The other sister, the older one, left home at the legal age, kept in contact with her siblings of whom she loved dearly, and also tried to make her way in life.
The older sister had a hard adult life, as did the younger sister.
But, something amazing and incredible about the older sister that I found and intend to write about, was how happy the older sister was and, now, to this day, is.
The older sister through all the hardships and heartache and sadness, was able and is still able to find love, maybe not through parents, but in other ways. She would call it her Religion she was able to find what Christians might say, "God's Tender Mercies".
This older sister never hurt anyone, never used drugs, never drank alcohol, never did anything dishonest or that would take away her honor. But, rather, rose above her trials, provided a safe and loving home to her children and her husband, and even made her life meaningful, happy and found joy in her life without the normal loving relationship that parents should provide.
Have you ever heard of someone saying that something happened that was so frustrating, so irritating, yet they just "could not find anything else to do but laugh"?
It has been told, at least so I have heard many times over that happier people live longer, are more healthy and have less health aliments.
Please note that there are some of the happiest people I know also have cancer. This also does not mean to say that in life we will never avoid being sad, or having hard times ahead of us.
I think that we can chose to be happy as we can chose many other things. We can chose to love, chose to be kind, chose to act , and we chose to react.
Choosing to be happy will help us over come many obstacles that life brings us. I find it interesting that when you look at other peoples lives and how they are living, if you see that they are truly happy, and good to others and kind, they have a better quality of life.
I have seen many very poor people be happy. I have thought about when I was little and we lived in Mexico. I recall that the people at evening would gather together and play guitars and sing, and dance in the neighborhoods. They were happy, and I remember that. I as a child, did not notice money or how big homes were, but I do remember the people in Mexico, in my neighborhood were happy. In Spanish, they call it "Simpatico". I think that being Simpatico was not just... Being happy, (which simpatico means friendly or happy), but I think it is a state of being, BEING happy, BEING friendly.
When we choose to be happy, we are giving a gift to others around us, but we are also giving ourselves a greater gift, the gift of being able to enjoy our experience being good people.
This also can turn into other things, becoming a great person, through happiness.
Happiness can give us strength when we are going through a hard time, because our minds can give us the power to endure through times that would otherwise be unbearable.
Happiness can also help us forgive others and steer us from moments of anger and bitterness and replace our hearts with peace and joy.
Some of our readers may not believe in God, and that is OK.
But, happiness can help us connect with a higher being than ourselves, which in return helps us get through hardships and trials.
There is a miracle in being able to chose to be happy, because the miracle comes from our choice as people to give of others, create a better environment for our family, bring joy and peace to those that would other wise not have it, and honestly, you will find those feelings of happiness that you find are contagious.
Here are some ways in finding Happiness
- Start writing in a journal
- Smile at a Stranger, once a day
- Sit at a park for 15 minutes and watch others, try to find one thing that made you smile a the park, and write it down in your journal
- In your Journal, write at least three happy memories you have in your life
- When you think of those happy memories, think of the one person responsible for those memories (family member, teacher, neighbor)
- Think of one person who is good and try to emulate that persons life, by creating your own way to making others happy
- When you buy something, always smile at the cashier and say Thank you to that person.
- Try praying, and instead of asking for something, Pray to Thank the Higher Power you are praying to
- Try making a child smile
- Be kind
- Write everything you do that makes you happy in your journal. Write your experiences that you have done in the list above in your journal
- Expect yourself to change in being happy, and if you find that there is nothing in your life that gives you meaning, or makes you happy, try something different or new that is productive and good, to find the true meaning of happiness.
- Attend Mass on Christmas Eve, if a Church is near you.
- Visit someone who is lonely, ill, or does not get visitors
- Listen to Happy Music, watch something funny, or read the comics in the News Paper
- Meditate
- Choose to Be Happy
I would hope that some of you would write in the comment what makes you truly happy.
Season's Greetings to everyone this Christmas!
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