This is life, right? When you’re up and walking around, hopefully you’re mostly happy. When you fall down, you’re probably sad and miserable. Regardless of whether you’re up and walking around happy or you’re falling down and unhappy, you’re giving off energy.
We are all creatures of light. You and me give off energy. When we smile, we light up a room. When we scowl or frown, we make others uncomfortable, or they respond in kind to our sadness. My point, the energy we put out elicits a response from others.
If you want happiness, give happiness. For example, I just spent a week in Colorado skiing. It was wonderful. You’re probably wondering how me being on vacation could be a lesson in being positive. Well, while I was out there, the weather wasn’t always great and my friends and I had a day where the skiing was challenging because of poor visibility.
At one point, we were all frustrated because we were all skiing a bit blind, and I knew we were feeding off each others’ fears. While we were waiting in line for a lift, and I was trying to dig deep and find some happiness in an unhappy situation, one of my friends made a joke. I can’t remember what it was, but we were all laughing by the time we got on the lift, and the runs I had back to the base felt happier and lighter.
As soon as I started to laugh, my whole self felt better. My friend gave me positive energy when she shared that joke with me. That was a perfect example of how one gets what one gives. She told a joke, we all laughed, and the energy between the four of us shifted.
Now, my post isn’t meant to undermine true unhappiness or depression. There are those who genuinely struggle with this. I’ve lived with it and am connected with loved ones who struggle with it.
My post today is to remind you that when you are down, it’s okay to be down, but don’t seek those falling down moments. There is genuine sadness that must be faced, and then there is fabricated misery.
I have loved ones, friends and family, who seek drama. They always expect the sky to fall. I don’t subscribe to that. When one is always looking for a problem, the problem will find you, because the door is always open for negativity to walk in. Close that door.
I fall and get up. We all fall and get up. It’s how we handle ourselves when the blows come that defines our outcomes. I’ve had my share of falls. A brain tumor, a knee surgery that left me thinking I may never walk normal again, major abdominal surgery, and few other mishaps that could have left me miserable. I lost my mom and a beloved niece a year apart. But I chose not to be miserable. I chose to fight through all my setbacks. I chose happiness.
Happiness really is a choice. Overcoming adversity begins with two words: I Can. One climbs a mountain one step at a time. To be happy, sometimes you have to say out loud, “I Can,” and then take that first step. It’s not easy to overcome, but it can be done.
And remember, if you’re dealing with grief, depression, anxiety, or a combination of the three, your journey will be long, and you will need to stop and rest as you climb that mountain. That’s okay. Keep going.
Sometimes happiness arrives when one tells a joke. Other times, you can see it and know it’s there, and it eludes you. As long as you know it’s there, keep seeking it; you will find it.
Life is a journey. Enjoy it. Seek happiness. Choose happiness, so when you fall, it will be laying there next to you waiting for you to pick it up.
Falling Upstairs 