Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Being Your Own Change

Lehmann Laughter

If you’re new here, this link-up is every Wednesday (until the 30 weeks are up) and it’s based off these two articles – here and here. You are welcome to take the points in any direction you choose, what I go off of is only something to get the ol’ brain ticking. Original post is here.

I hope you’ll join me!

Previous posts: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9.

Week 10!


Being Your Own Change: Do you create your own happiness?


I don’t know if I create my own happiness (I certainly try) but I am really good at finding the silver lining in things.

Growing up we moved around a lot (nope, not military) in part due to my moms alcoholism and just sheer bad luck. I don’t know if you’ve ever been uprooted from your friends as an 8 year old but it is devastating. You know no one, kids are mean (I still remember the names of my bullies), and typically you can’t grasp why it was so important to move away anyway. It all feels like everyone is out to get you.

It sucked at the time (Texas, Utah, Arizona, Kansas and back to Texas in a span of 3ish years) but looking back it really did teach me that even in the most unknown circumstances, there is good. My mom had her vices but one of the things she taught me by example was kindness. And in that kindness, I was taught how to be happy. How to laugh when things seemed impossible because just around the corner there is always a light. Always.

It’s a choice every day despite whatever shitty hand you are dealt whether you are going to filled with sunshine or drown yourself in the dark – and so I choose sunshine. Because even in the darkest hours of the night when I’d be holding a rag to my mothers bloody nose and bruised eye, she’d still turn up to me and say, “You are beautiful.”

And so is life. Life is beautiful, you just have to look for it. You find happiness in the fact that every morning you are blessed to wake up, to breathe, to love, to be loved and it’s not something we should take for granted. Your life is your own and only you are the only one who can mold it into something to be proud of. 
I think a quote from the piece that inspired this link-up really explains it best:

”Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it. If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it. But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you will find that too.”

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!


2 comments:

Cramer Coffee and Jesus said...

you really do sometimes just have to force yourself to look on the bright side of things to be happy. isn't it sad we have to do that sometimes? but i guess whatever it takes, we do! lol. by the way, i'm glad I just found your blog today! I'm excited to be following along! :)

Amanda Arr said...

Even though we've never met in person (and I'm sorry that I couldn't keep up with the blog challenge), I'm thankful for people like you...who see the good even when the bad tries to fog the way. And the kindness of everyone while my sister and kids pick up the pieces after having their house burn down this past month has been amazing. There are days that my heart aches for my sister and all that she is dealing with, but then I see all the donations that people have given her, and my heart fills with joy.