Unapologetically Real 22

Happiness

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.”

― Audrey Hepburn

I had it all wrong…

thought happiness could be found.

Searching harder

pushed it further away.

Like a dog chasing its tail

’round and ’round

the mulberry bush

happiness was that elusive

state of mind that was unachievable.

When I was younger,

I thought I needed to lose weight or be prettier to be happy.

As I grew older,

I thought I needed a man and babies to be happy.

Divorce…

Then older,

a great job and successful children.

Older still,

very happily married and grandchildren.

My love died.

Now,

after much loss and pain,

Great job and successful children – check

Weight loss – working on that one, most days chalk it up to genetics.

Pretty? Who the hell cares anymore?

Happy? Yes, yes, and again yes!

I found my key to happiness.

Do you want to know what it is?

It’s really very simple…

I

Choose

to

be

Happy.

Every single day.

Some days it works,

some days it doesn’t.

But the happy days vastly outnumber the unhappy ones.

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

In the beginning

of my fifth life

502 days ago

I put up walls

around myself, my heart, my soul, my brain, my very being.

I chose to live in a self-imposed fortress

to grieve and mourn.

“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”

― Jonathan Safran Foer

I thought I was doing the right thing

by retreating behind the stone walls.

But brick-by-brick

my chosen fortress of unhappiness has been

bombed,

smashed,

decimated,

removed,

and I have walked away on yet another journey

to parts unknown.

On this leg of my current journey

I choose happiness.

“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”

― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

Happiness in the present

without looking ahead

or behind.

Focused on

fully living in a state of

happiness

in each present moment.

Because that is all that I am guaranteed.

XO Lisa ❤️ living a gratitude filled life