The choices we make

After reading my last post, Drew mentioned that I seemed awfully negative for someone who was so positive. I thought about this, and although I reserve the right to rant and rave as much as I want to I came to the conclusion that I was letting this silly test dictate my mood for the day. This led to some further thought unrelated to the test. We can all have bad days and be in bad moods for a bit, but have you ever met someone who is just kind of always in a bad mood or in a negative frame of mind? I don't want to be that kind of person.

A common theme that I have developed over the past several years is that of taking ownership of our lives. We accept responsibility for lots of our decisions. How fast we drive, what we eat, who we're kind to, etc.. So why not take responsibility for our attitudes? There is a lot that happens in life that we don't have control over or maybe something we did have control over didn't work out the way we thought. What are you going to do about it?

I have a friend who was dealt a really tough hand in life. She lost the love of her life a few years ago. This loss left her on her own with two small children. I admire her so much because she has decided to go on with her life in a very positive direction. She has accomplished incredible things with so much faith and positivity. Sure she gets discouraged, but she keeps going and I believe that she is happy. Sure she's not happy about what happened, but she has made positive things come out of her tragedy.

I truly believe that being happy is a choice that we make. We can make it everyday, or recommit ourselves to the decision occassionally. What is wrong with looking at the world through rose colored glasses? They make it beautiful. Is it natural to focus on the negative? I think it is natural to identify it, but it is possible to move beyond it and get on making something positive out of the situation.

Drew and I decided a long time ago to be happy no matter what life throws at us. We can be happy where we live, although it may not have been our ideal choice. There are lots of great things about our house and Morgantown to focus on. We are happy even though we hardly get to see each other as a family because at least we're not being separated by an ocean and desert. Lucas cries a lot, but I still love him. It's OK to vent out frustrations and dissappointments, but I really try not to dwell on them. I just hope we can all make the choice to be happy, at least for today. You can decide again tomorrow.