Happy Is As Happy Thinks?

Today's 30 Day Blog Challenge prompt: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." -Mohandas Gandhi  Do you think this to be true?  What brings you the greatest happiness in your life?  What is one of your happiest moments?

As someone whose emotions rise and fall with external tides, I wish I could truly believe in Gandhi's quote.  Maybe I should.

I know well the popular internet story about the man who chooses to live, chooses to have a good attitude, chooses to be happy.  I wish I could be like that.  Maybe I should.

I just don't know if I can.

I subscribe to a Facebook app that feeds me something God wants me to know every day.  Today's morsel was about how one can choose peace.  I wish I could right now.  Maybe I should.  Maybe I should just make up my mind to be peaceful and happy despite the buffeting of the typhoon that sometimes rages around me.

I just don't know if I can.

What makes me happy?  Most of the time, it's my fabulous family.

We took a long car trip last week - thirty hours in a subcompact over the course of three days.  I was so very happy with how the kids behaved.  They were absolute jewels - well behaved, not hassling each other (well, not overmuch - they are brothers), and kind and helpful.  King Charming and I tried very hard not to snit at each other since we knew most of our frustration came from the trip itself, not any particular thing the other did.  For the most part we were successful.  Despite the strain of being in the sardine can for that long, I found myself happy to share the trip with my fantastic family.

Then again, there are times when my family makes me decidedly unhappy.  There are days when I think they might be sharing a single brain amongst themselves -- like when the trash can is almost overflowing but nobody seems to notice it except me.  Or the days when they forget the little things I ask them to do and I end up having to do them - even though I've been at work all day and they've all been sitting around.  Those times make me decidedly unhappy.

But maybe I shouldn't let them bother me.  Maybe it's all small stuff that I shouldn't sweat.

Maybe one day I'll learn to be happy within my own self.  Maybe one day I'll learn how not to let my emotions rise and fall on the external crests and valleys of the sea of life.  Maybe one day I'll learn to define happiness as something that comes from within, is contained in my own thoughts and deeds, isn't dependent on external events.

I know I should.  I just don't know if I can.

Copyright © 2011 Denise Duggan