Further to my post of yesterday, On the happiness of chipmunks, I’d like to add this:
Being miserable is a habit; being happy is a habit; and the choice is yours.
Tom Hopkins
I spent many years being in the habit of being miserable. I managed, with little effort, to find faul
t with any situation, to look for the ways others were wrong. I lived in, nay, wallowed in, misery. And I rarely forewent the opportunity to express my discontent, unhappiness, suffering …….. & thereby added to the discontent, unhappiness, suffering of others.
I would never have said that “I shall choose this miserableness”, but choose it I did, by default. That is, I chose misery because I didn’t choose happiness. Now, there are many states in between, but — being something of an absolutist back then — I had to go for the extreme edge. And I elevated it to a Way of Life. Ay yi yi ……………
The antidote to all those years, to that way o
f life, is to be doing as I do now:
CHOOSING TO BE HAPPY
……. even when in moderate discomfort & still swollen from my abscessing tooth, in financial straits, missing my daughter & unable to visit her right now – I’m still able to say, truly, actually meaning it: “Yes, by golly, in this moment, I am happy.”
The secret to lasting happiness, I think, is staying in. this. moment. Take it from me, the Chipmunk of Happiness.
That was so me too. I’m not sure that I’ve reached the place where I always feel happy in the moment, but when I catch myself leaning toward misery or finding fault I snap myself right back over into a different track and I AM happy that I’ve learned to refuse to live in the misery place. It IS a choice and it’s kind of amazing how many people choose to be unhappy.
Oh, I know! But until I really UNDERSTOOD, I denied that there was any ‘choice’ involved. I did that for a long, long time ……….. And I frequently find myself unwittingly choosing that old pattern of being miserable ….. have to on watch CONstantly!!
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Happiness is a choice, to a point. Unfortunately it isn’t a matter of choice for those suffering from dibilitating depression – several of whom have populated my life. I wish, I wish it could always just be a choice.
I’ve dealt with debilitating depression too. I know how easy it is to fall over into that pit, & hard very difficult it is to get back out of it. And this knowing, is part of why I say: There really is a choice about being happy. Seems counter intuitive,yes? And difficult for sure ……….. but there nonetheless.
Good for you! Keep the faith.
haha, thank you:)
Beautifully said. I choose to be happy in this moment too! Thank you for this. It’s made my day xx.
Ah, I’m glad, Dimitie:) May our choice for happiness ripple out to everyone else …….. imagine the world THEN !!!!
Indeed! I have had trouble receiving and sending comments since I moved over to a self hosted blog. Hopefully now you will get this.
Thank you!
You know, I have kinda wondered where you were, comment-wise. Hope the trouble is resolved!