Are you happy?

Happiness-Quotes-Part-1-21   Take a quick moment and ask yourself this question, “Are you really happy?”.  I’d love to say that as the writer of this blog, Defining Happy, that my life is filled with skips through lavender fields, impromptu moonwalks down the sidewalk, and an abundance of happy days but that’s not the case. I’m human and quite frankly…shit happens. In the midst of some of said shit I have to stop and remind myself that things could be worse. I’ve traveled through many a third world country, and even here in the US, and have seen people that have nothing but they continue to smile in spite of. I can recall my travels through Tanzania while teaching at an orphanage and admiring children who to the naked eye would appear to have nothing. They wore the same clothes every single day, had no parents, no electricity, no video games, no Facebook, no Jordan’s, and no bed to themselves. I brought pens, crayons, candy, and random toys to pass out and the look on these kids faces was priceless. Their smiles before the gifts could light up the darkest room but to see a child shed tears because she received her own toy and piece of dollar store candy was mind blowing. I know some kids here in the states that would straight cuss me out if I gave them a dollar store toy as a gift. We as Americans would have considered these children poor but I found their lives to be full of wealth. They were rich in love, compassion, and strength. On a daily basis they smiled and sang so joyfully that you’d never in a million years believe they lacked so much.

I lived in Europe for 4 years and my European friends would joke that Americans were spoiled. That we lived to work and acquire things that we didn’t need and barely used.   Uh, that sounds about right to me.  Some people are blessed with so much that they oftentimes have an entitlement attitude as if they deserved things without having to put in the necessary work.

I have a question for you. In the midst all the reckless spending, the closets stuffed to capacity with things you can’t even fit anymore or have never worn, the man or woman in your life that treats your poorly but you refuse to be alone, the degree and job that makes you look good on paper but you hate, are you really happy? ( I know that was a ridiculously long run on sentence but STAY FOCUSED PEOPLE!!)  If you were to lose all of your material possessions would you still be able to don a genuine smile? Do you continue to acquire and do things that should make you content but you are still left underwhelmed and empty? I don’t ever want to take away anyone’s right to be human and to have bad days, fears, and grievances. I just want you all to keep in mind that things could be so much worse. There is always someone out there that would love to be in your shoes right now.

Pause for moment each day and think of one thing that makes you happy and put a smile on your face. Focusing on the positive instead of always honing in on the negative things with make a world of difference in your life.

 

Peace and blessings,

Vee

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