After a move that had been particularly hard on me, my
mother sat me down for a heart-to-heart chat. I was probably eleven or twelve.
Maybe thirteen. And I must have been in a serious funk, because even back then
it was hard to get me down and keep me there.
But I have never forgotten what my mother said to me that
day. She told me that regardless of circumstances, surroundings, or the actions
of other people, the only person who had total control of my happiness is ME. Happiness
is a choice, and it is up to me to decide to be happy or not.
Since then, I’ve moved a whole bunch more times. Been
through relationships and heartache and lots and lots of life. I’ve had my
heart broken and rebuilt and remodeled and revised, and lived in several states
and gone to lots of schools and experienced both happiness and disappointment.
My mother’s words of wisdom have stayed with me through it all.
I choose to be happy.
I have a family now, and children who are on a roller
coaster themselves, and it’s time for me to pass on that same advice.
So here it is:
There are a lot of things and parts of life that are out of
your control. Especially as a kid. Things happen, families move, bullies exist
and there will always be someone who seems to know just the right thing to say
in order to momentarily rip out your heart. You’ll like boys/girls and they
might not like you back. Friends will say mean things and hurt your feelings.
There will always be someone you miss. Always. There are a lot of reasons why
you might choose to be unhappy, and those reasons will never go away. They will
likely change, but there will forever be something.
Happiness is a choice. It is up to you to decide to rise
above the bad and focus on the good. It’s up to you to take control of your well
being. It is up to you to choose to be happy.
I hope I’ve taught you well. That’s all.
4 comments:
This is so, so wonderful! And well-put too. I agree all the way that it's a choice. Unfortunately, I've also dealt with depression in my life, and I've discovered the tragedy of actual chemical imbalances that make that choice sometimes impossible, no how hard you try. After being through all that, though, I've discovered that the choice part is what will be the difference between a person who completely gives in to the depression and the person who fights it. There is hope in fighting it, not so much in giving into it. It might be a weak fight, but it's there. It also helps to be surrounded by people keeping a lookout for each other.
I'm in a situation right now where it has been really difficult to keep going and decide to be happy. It's nothing life-threatening that I'm going through, but it has been difficult all the same. Thanks for this reminder!
Well said, Nichole. Good reminder that the bad never goes away, so we'll miss the good if we're waiting for a time when there will be no negative distractions.
Awesome! Thank you!
Amen. Nice post.
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