Words On Happiness

I have been reading the book Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert and I came upon a section I'd like to share with you on happiness.

"...people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that is not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. Its easy enough to pray when you're in distress, but continuing to pray when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

Pretty profound, eh? It is easy to pray when life is tossing you about in turmoil and you feel like you’re in the pit of despair. But how often do we remember to pray everyday thanking God for the blessings we have heaped upon us? Happiness is a state of mind. It is something that we can choose to have no matter what our circumstances. You can be in the middle of a crisis, but tactically choose to be happy. I mean, which would you rather do? Bemoan the circumstances of your despair, or rejoice in the blessings that surround you and the experience and good fortune that will come out of that despair? This is a good lesson for me right now. I seemed to have found myself in a funk over the last few days and that is not really how I choose to live my life. I have MBC (metastatic breast cancer); there is no cure, so what. Deal with it. There may not be a cure, but I will live the rest of a very full and productive life with this and I can handle the treatment. These are the cards I have been dealt, so I can either be happy with it or not, that is my choice. This is my lesson that I am to learn and experience. Cancer is a great teacher, if I will allow it to be. I believe I will be a better person, parent, partner, friend, child, employee, human being, if you will, because of what I am facing. I could let it make me bitter and angry, but what does that do other than to circumvent the healing process and basically ruin your entire day! And, I’m not really about wasting days.

I got the honor to go out with a few girlfriends last night, Sherri Manzanares, her two sisters and Donna Zulauf. We are all facing our own personal challenges. No ones life is easy, but together, we are strong and we are full of humor, love and compassion. We lift each other up. We choose to be happy. I love the energy they share with me and the way that we support and encourage each other. Life is tough, no doubt, but there are so many blessings that are also cast upon us, friendship being one of the greatest.

Think about what makes you happy? I know when I start thinking about my happiness; it has very little to do with “stuff” and everything to do with people. Mike makes me happy, beyond my wildest dreams; he is my best friend and “gets” me like no one else. What a complete and utter love he shares with me. My kids, they just make my life worth living. To watch them grow and learn, they have enriched me beyond measure. My grandson, he makes my life complete. He reminds me of the simplicity of life, of pure love, untainted by the perils of this world. My parents, total and unconditional love. The best and most wonderful parents a child could every want. My brother, who knows all my secrets and loves me anyway and supports me like no other. My sister-in-law Rhonda, my nephews, Andrew and Jason, Jessie’s mama Elena… And this doesn’t even start to include the rest of my extended family and the incredible friends that I could list, the pages would be full. Each person bringing something intangible and uplifting to my life. So, no matter what my circumstances, how could I not choose to be happy when surrounded by such magnificent people? And that is just the people! That list doesn’t even include the blessings of a beautiful home, a great job, a decent car… or the blessings of the earth, flowers, rain, sunshine… or the blessings of God, hope, miracles, grace and faith. I could go on and on but I think you get the drift.

Happiness is a choice. And we cannot just sit back on our laurels and let happiness come to us. We must strive to find it within our lives and when we do grasp a hold of it, we must hold on to it, nurture it and make it a focal point in our everyday activities. Actively search for and pursue that happiness like you would a lost child, and when you find it, hold on to it with all your might and never let it go. Don’t let the challenges of life dilute it, let the challenges enhance it, for each moment is a gift. Like they saying goes, that’s why it’s called the present.