A straight-up confession: I don’t appreciate living in America as much as I should, and I know it. I’m not talking about appreciating America because of the stupid stuff it’s known for, but because of how many luxuries there are in America. And with luxuries and comfort, there is the opportunity for ungratefulness to seep in.
A study showed that Americans have the largest percentage of depressed people in the world, yet America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Who are the happiest people in the world? Kenyans. Yes, that’s right. People from a third-world country with problems plaguing their day-to-day lives.
What does that tell you about humanity’s perception of happiness and wealth? Is happiness directly related to the amount of material wealth one has? Lately, I’ve been thinking about the concept of being happy, and quite frankly, that’s because I haven’t been feeling happy lately.
I didn’t know what was up with me. I was kind of getting sick of it. I just wanted to…well, be happy. Was it too much to ask? And then it kind of hit me.
There is no magic formula to happiness. It’s not like you can just attain it. In fact, happiness is not something that can be pursued. It has to come from within. It has to be created. And unfortunately, a lot of the concept of happiness deals with attitude.
When it rains, everyone wants to stay inside and gripe about how bad the weather, yet as they complain, they miss the beauty of the rainbow that comes after the rain. We spend so much of our time complaining about the rain that we don’t even stop and look at the rainbow that’s left behind.
If we focused only on the rain and how it messed up our plans, we’d be unhappy. But if we stuck it out and appreciated the rainbow that results from the rain, we’d look at it and smile in happiness and appreciation.
It’s the same thing with our lives. When we have a headache, we can either complain about how bad we feel, or we can be thankful that we have access to pills that will help alleviate that pain.
A choice. That’s all it is. Life is about the small things, like finding five dollars in your winter jacket (but since Florida doesn’t get cold enough for a jacket, I’d probably find it in my jeans, all soggy from accidentally going through the wash. Smh.). And I know you’ve probably heard that before. Focus on the small things. A smile your way. A cupcake. A slice of cheesecake. Being able to sleep in.
But what I want to specifically focus on is creating those moments. For yourself, and for others. Always look for the positives when it comes to yourself, because remember, happiness is a state of mind that is created. But sometimes, happiness can come from external factors, and those are the moments that we remember the most.
So return the favor and do good for others; create that moment for them that helps them make it through the day. During my first rant/rambling, I said that no matter what, I want to choose the path where I’m doing goodness. And maybe one day that good will come back to me.
Well, I was put to the test on Tuesday. And I’m happy about what I did. Not because it benefited me in a direct way, but I created happiness for myself and for someone else.
That morning, my mom gave me some spare change she found on my way to the bus. I kind of just mindlessly took it, figuring I’d have some use for it. Then later that day, I was walking to class and this girl, Nicole, was red-faced and she was clearly crying. Nicole has a deep tan, so the redness of her face being that apparent meant something was seriously up. This guy (who is really, really attractive and could totally model) was comforting her but damn, she looked like she was having the crappiest day ever.
This girl and I had freshman biology together. I never really liked her that much. Well, I never liked her actions. And this year, as juniors, she sits in front of me in English class. And she flips her hair. A lot. And my face every time is like this: -_-
Anyway, we had a sub and we were watching a movie and damn, Nicole looked like she was in BAD shape. I was going to slip her a note to cheer her up and then I saw that my English teacher (coincidentally) happened to be selling some candy and my mom had (coincidentally) given me some money that morning. I discreetly bought some Starburst (I know she likes those). I found this random post-it note so I wrote:
“When you’re sad, don’t be sad. Be awesome instead. :) Feel better and good luck on your exam!”
(She had a math exam the next period and she was attempting to study but she clearly couldn’t concentrate.) When the bell rang, I gave it to her and walked out. Honestly, that made me feel so. Freaking. AWESOME. Like, the only reason I’m actually telling this story is to share with you how amazing it feels to make someone else’s day because you realize how much you wish that would happen to you when you’re having a crap day.
That’s the thing that I’m trying to stress here: it’s always about the small things. And it’s not just about appreciating the small things. It’s about creating those moments for other people because all this, the whole world, is pretty relative. Everything comes back to you.
And not only that, but I think what I did is something that will have a long-lasting impact on Nicole for a while. 20 years from now, if she’s ever having a crap day, I don’t really even want her to remember me, I just want her to remember that life is about the little things, and it’s the little things that get us through.
I’ve made my mark on someone in the world, so now it’s your turn. If I’ve inspired you with this somehow, please comment below and please do something for someone else and then let me know (by commenting!) what you did. We may not be able to affect everyone in the world, but everyone can affect at least one person.
All my love and more,
Ash ♥
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A random black guy sitting at the computer next to mine (I'm at the library) is clearly under the illusion that he is Eminem and Lil Wayne's child...so I couldn't concentrate while editing this. LOL just thought you should know x)
