Have you ever been in a bad mood? Of course you have – we all have. It’s easy to let the junk of life foul up our thought process. A little something I’ve learned over time: we may not always be able to control our circumstances, but we can control how we react to them. We can be sad, upset, grumpy – or we can choose happiness. We can choose to be mentally stronger than our circumstances. We can control our emotions. Do you notice the people society considers wise have their emotions under control?  They are not easily provoked by a rude comment.  They don’t let their emotions get the better of them.

Happiness isn’t so much a feeling as it is a state of mind.  We really can choose happiness.  I’m no expert at controlling my thoughts, but I don’t stop trying.  I’m a glass half-full kind of girl.  When things feel crappy, I’ve been counting my blessings, being thankful for what I have rather than worrying about what I don’t.  It isn’t easy for me – it’s a constant work in progress.

I constantly work at being kind.  With so much fracture in the world, every act of kindness matters.  I guess I’m a little like the boy who sees thousand of starfish on the beach and begins picking up the ones nearest him, throwing them back into the ocean.  A passerby asks him why he bothers.  “There are thousands of these things on the beach,” says the onlooker.  “What you’re doing isn’t going to make a difference.”  As he throws another starfish back into the ocean, the boy replies, “it makes a difference to this one.”  I’m not self-centered enough to think I can make a difference in the world, but I can make a difference to one person, and later another, and then perhaps another.

My effort is not even a ripple in the scheme of things, but how often has your day been brightened by the kind act of another?  Aren’t you glad they took the time and cared enough to treat you kindly?  Didn’t it make a difference in your day?  It’s always my goal to leave an event making others happy I was there, not because I was so amazing, but because of the way I made them feel.  And that to me is happiness.

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