You would not believe how allergic to joy or even happiness some people are. I’m constantly amazed by this because, don’t we all want to be happy? Lord knows I do and therefore I put my energy into doing things and being around people and in situations that support my souls purpose and the happiness and joy that makes my life a good place to be. Which doesn’t mean I’m bubbly and perky all the time, in fact I’m a grumpy puss in the morning and I struggle with perky people until I’m fully awake, but I digress.
More than once over the past couple of years people have told me, “Well, you do the most amazing and fun things! And you don’t wait for other people, you just go and do them!” or “You have the most fun thing!”, ” I love your wardrobe, it’s fun!” What amazes me is this amazes other people. Why would I not? Or better yet, why aren’t they? The usual response to a gentle suggestion that they could do/have/be this is “Oh, no I’m not good enough/special enough/smart enough/talented enough”. To which I just want to scream “Bullshit! Yes, you are!!!”
What it comes down to is for whatever reason, they don’t believe they deserve to be happy. And so they seek out situations to keep things exactly as they are: dull, difficult, depressing, demeaning…well, you get the point. Fill in the blank. Some of them even point out that they are a victim of circumstances in their lives. However I’m still trying to fight off the need to grab their shoulders and shake them so I rarely listen to that. Once we achieve adulthood we can make choices and one of those choices is to be on or off the emotional rollercoaster, which may seem like it will lead to happiness and joy, but while the ride is never-ending the ups and downs are epic and never-ending as well. They taste joy and then are yanked away from it again by gravity. I’ll leave roller coasters to the theme parks where they belong.
Everyone deserves joy and a happy life, whatever that looks like for you. And happiness is an amazing tapestry of uniqueness that is woven by each of us every day of our lives. Make one choice today that allows you to be deeply happy and know it for what it is: your right because you deserve it.