Happiness is a Choice

Happiness is a choice, not something that just "happens" to us. Its not like some people are privileged and have "happy" lives and others are cursed and have miserable lives. Rather, its a choice we make, every minute of every day. We can take what happens to us and let it fester and color our world in misery, or we can learn from what has happened and move on. Conversely, we can also see the silver lining of the cloud that just dumped all over us.

I have a few pet peeves, one is those who complain miserably about the sorry state of their lives and steadfastly do nothing to improve things for themselves, or those who persist in seeing the negativity in every situation.

Its been a while since I've been for a walk without a stroller or a wagon, so I enjoyed the weather yesterday and today and walked on my lunch and supper breaks at work. Yes, I'm a nurse, I'm on my feet for the majority of a 12 hour shift, and I went for a walk during my break. These were very short walks, each less than a mile long. Walking without Kev (wagon or stroller) gives me the time to think and clear my head. Some people walk with music and some talk on their phones while they walk. I prefer to walk without music and without the earbuds in my ear. This frees my mind to wander and think about things that have been simmering on the back burner while I bustle about my daily life.

Today, for whatever reason, I began thinking about why some people are happy and have a sense of humor and look on the bright side of life, while others are utterly miserable. We all know the two types. We all know someone who always has a smile, always has something positive to say, someone who can brighten our day just by being there. And we all know someone who simply sucks the life right out of us by their negative attitude. Its as if they have a dreary gray cloud hovering over their head and they insist on sharing their misery with everyone and anyone.

Someone very near and dear to me summed up the negativeness of her world very accurately one day when I suggested to her that happiness comes from internal sources, not external. "Well, how can I possibly be happy when I have such a horrible life?" Truly, if your life is so horrible, how can you be happy?! She could not comprehend that happiness is a choice we make for ourselves and with a simple change of outlook, her world would change.

Being a relatively new employee in a small hospital (and I mean small when compared to HSC), I have not yet met all the employees. However, I met one in particular today who was the very definition of happiness. She had a smile for the patient and the patient's visitors.  She exuded happiness and was a pleasure to have in the department, if even for a brief time. We introduced ourselves, discussed our lives and children very briefly, found common ground and agreed that life was too short to be miserable.

Blogging is a wonderful outlet for me, and I'd love to hear what you think about this topic "Happiness is a Choice."