But I thought I would take a second to write a few little things that have made me feel happy lately, because I think it's important to take time to acknowledge the good things. I believe that giving a voice to happiness, big or small, allows it to grow.
-I was out yesterday running some errands and I decided to stop at Bath and Body Works, because I have been out of bubble bath for a few months now. One of my life philosophies is that a bath can make just about anything better. But a bath without bubbles is not a bath worth taking...in my opinion. So I stopped, got a little carried away, and came home with a bunch of yummy smelling bubble bath and body spray. Even a little aroma therapy. Yum. It should last me for a long while. (P.S. The Eucalyptus Tea aroma therapy is to die for. And apparently it is meant for stress relief. Just a little tip for you.)
-While I was gone, Matt took the kids over to his parents house so Grandma could cut Charlie's hair. They were still gone when I got home, so I had a nice chunk of time alone in the house...which NEVER happens. It was lovely. And bonus...Matt came home with fresh chocolate chip cookies his mom had just baked. Score!
-We took the kids up to Silver Lake this afternoon to enjoy the very fall-like weather we've been having lately. I was really nervous about it, because the last time we took the kids to the mountains, Aubrey had been very stressed out, emotional and difficult. I just didn't want to have a repeat experience. But we had a wonderful time! Both of the kids were very happy to be there. Aubrey walked happily around the entire lake. She wandered off the trail with us to explore. She climbed over fallen trees and rocks. She waved and smiled at every person we passed on the trail. And we ended the evening without a single meltdown. It was like a miracle. I was so happy that I couldn't stop hugging her and telling her how proud I was of her. Add to that the fact that we needed to wear hoodies, and I call that the perfect evening.
-Yesterday I was upstairs straightening my hair for a while. Matt and the kids were downstairs eating a snack. When I came down the stairs and Charlie saw me, he gasped and said "Mommy! You so pretty!" I think I'll keep him.
-Matt and I have been having conversations about what to do with the townhome we still own in South Jordan. One of the things we've been thinking of is waiting to sell it until we can make a nice chunk of money, and then turning that money over and buying a cabin/cottage/vacation rental property in the mountains somewhere. The idea being that if we're going to own two properties...we might as well own one that we can get some use/enjoyment out of. Who knows if anything will materialize out of this dream...and even if it does it won't be for a good long while. But it is a fun dream to have, and one that makes me happy.
-I have a board on Pinterest titled "Happiness". I post anything from pictures to quotes to art...anything that makes me feel happy. Here is a sampling.
I want to end this post by asking you, my readers, about your thoughts on happiness. What do you think? Is happiness a choice? And if so, to what extent? And if you are the type of person that think happiness is 100% a choice...what does that look like for you? I genuinely want to know! So if you have thoughts on the subject, comment below or on the FB link for this post.
xoxoxo
4 comments:
That question really bothered me for a long time. "Happiness a mere choice? That's like choosing for the day to be sunny!" I used to think. Then, as I got help and medication for my depression and anxiety, I started to realize that a healthy person can choose to be happy. Before, my sickness chose for me. That's not to say that a healthy mind can always choose to be happy, for this life is learning about happiness and sadness. Nowadays I feel like we can choose to have a happy outlook, a happy demeanor, but we can allow ourselves to be sad, too. Just not to let sadness and despair run the show.
Weird as it sounds, I do believe that happiness is a choice, once you choose how you react to something, you choose the long term consequences of that reaction. If you choose to react in a way that leads to unhappiness that is where you end up. And vice versa, if you choose to react in a way that is happy then happiness will follow.
I truley believe happiness can be an involuntary reaction to circumstances,
But more often then not happiness is a chosen perspective that allowed us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There were days woven throughout my 7 years in a violently abusive marriage where I would allow myself to feel the pain and dwell in the self pity... Because it was truley awful and I honestly couldn't put my finger on what I had done to deserve this type of pain.
But had I not set a limit on the amount of time I allowed my self to dwell in those real and raw emotions... They would have consumed and paralysed me.
So once my 1 hr or one day of pitty was up. I would choose to find my happy. Wheat her it was Lillian's sweet smile, smell or hugs. Or that I could step into my classroom and choose to be the highlight of my students day, or find comic relief in their antics. The crisp smell of fall air and crunch of the brilliant colors beneath my feet on a walk w my Lilly who would take in each smell and smile at me w rosy pink cheeks.
It didn't chance the pain or ugly that was a part of my daily life. But I did find that choosing the happy ( though admittedly not always possible) was empowering. And the more I chose happy the more natural it felt. The more I could see not only what was good in life , but in myself . And from there I was able to make choices to protect my daughter and my self... But also that made all those thing I chose to focus on, more prevelant in our lives.
Sorry for rambling, my point is that happiness can be a choice and made frequently enough it will be come second nature.
Often times I too ponder about happiness. What is happiness? How do I achieve happiness? What happens when I achieve happiness? Is happiness even achievable? I don't have all answers. I now reference a part in batman 2 where the Joker describes never having a plan. He says he is like a dog chasing a car, if he ever caught the car he wouldn't know what to do with it. What if happiness is the car a dog can't ever catch? What happens once happiness is caught or achieved? I think the dogs joy is found in chasing the car not catching the car. I believe that happiness is found in the pursuit of happiness not in the achievement of happiness. That being said below is a link to a devotional given by Jeffery R Holland. My thoughts after hearing his words are happiness is not something one can achieve because it's state is too much based on relevancy, we need to focus our efforts not on achieving happiness but more now than ever is to focus our efforts on the pursuits of happiness. It is in the pursuit of happiness we will find joy and substance in life. I hope that through listening to the linked talk of Elder Holland you will find comfort and real joy in life. I hope this helps. Merry Christmas
Nater
https://video.byui.edu/media/Elder+Jeffrey+R.+Holland+“Living+after+the+Manner+of+Happiness”/0_lswaqv0g
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