Day 164: That Patch of Happiness

Pure joy. What is pure joy? Seeing a child immersed in an activity that they love with complete disregard for their surroundings, watching a couple newly in love interacting as they walk down the street or sit on a park bench together, sitting out in the middle of nature on top of a mountain or in a forest on a beautiful, warm day and looking out at the sheer beauty of the world, eating that first, ice cream cone of the summer... the list could go on and on.

Life is really too short to feel anything but pure joy. Yes, there are days when I feel sad or lonely or a bit down but the happy days certainly outweigh the low days. I try every day to see the happy and see the joy in my life. It is always there, waiting to be discovered. Sometimes I have to work harder to find it than other days but I am starting to find little tricks for finding it faster. I try not to focus on the negative and that is why I seldom post about the more, difficult days. I figure we all know what those are like. It is finding ways to sneak positivity into the cracks, to shed light into the darkness, that is important.

Is life fair? No. I think about all of the children out there who are born with diseases or life threatening illnesses. Some never make it even into their teenage years. I think about the people who are forced out of their countries due to war or other catastrophes. They are thrown into a new life regardless of wanting it or not. I think about the people who struggle mentally every day to feel good about themselves or their lives for whatever reason. Sometimes the reasons are valid and sometimes they are not. It doesn't matter. Life is still a struggle for them. Life is not always fair. But we are not owed anything either. Life is a gift in no matter what form we have it. Everyone has their struggles and difficulties. It is finding that patch of happiness where we can sit and look around and appreciate all of the blessings we do have and not focus on what is missing.

That patch of happiness for me today is a quiet morning with my cup of coffee. Watching my kitty sit in the window, content to watch the birds soaring in the air, taunting her. Having no where to be and no hurry to get there. Life is what we make it. Make yours happy. Choose to be happy every day. There is always that choice. Make that choice and find your patch of happy.