I've been thinking a lot lately about mental illness, drug addiction, health and disease, and the confines of society. There are plenty of things that are wrong with the world, and with ourselves, but I'm not going to focus on that in this post. I want to focus on choosing happiness, which isn't something we often think about as a simple option. We tend to view happiness as something we earn; we're happy after we succeed, we're happy when we're able to buy something we've had our eye on and worked hard for, we're happy when we think we deserve to be happy. The fact is, happiness is a choice. It is free and it is yours always regardless of the circumstances. Happiness is viewing everything you experience in life with love and gratitude. Trust me, it's also the easiest thing to forget.
The fact is, there are many people out there who are not happy, but (as I'd like to think) there are even more who are. But how can it be where some are able to choose happiness, and yet still, some are not? I know personally when I'm feeling depressed or angry, and someone tells me the ever-so-easy fix: JUST BE HAPPY! I instantly tense up and want to cry or punch a wall. Oh, really, is it that easy, now? What's even more, there are many unhappy people who seek drugs or suicide as a means of escape, many who suffer from states of disease and mental illness and are rendered unable to choose happiness. How can these types of individuals be shown happiness as a valuable alternative, one that must be cultivated and practiced once it is chosen?
Although I myself am still learning to choose happiness, I hope to one day weave these precious lessons into my nursing career. Our world needs more genuine smiles.
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