Happiness

In Russia, at least during the winter, everyone has hat hair. Also, having my snot freeze and the hairs bristle inside my nose is one of the strangest phenomenons I have ever experienced. Despite everyday being a hat day and a cold nose, I absolutely love it here.

Over the past few days I have given much thought and reflection to what it means to be happy. Being happy, I've found, is a choice that everyone has the ability to make. Through my own experiences, as well as from observing those around me from 3 year olds to adults, seeking out the good from day to day doesn't come naturally for the majority of people. Being positive is a skill and like every other skill out there it takes practice to master. Forget mastery, ha... it takes practice to even become decent at it, successfully finding even just a few things to be grateful for in the day.

Everyone is fighting a hard battle. Everyday. Each day there is something in all of our lives that makes our experience less preferable than it would have been had that something had not occurred. Sometimes I think it's easy for us to look at someone else's day (or life) and think "man, if only I had it that easy" or "why do they have it so much easier than I do? Why can't I get a break like that?" When we think this, I have found that those people had their own difficulties that day. The difference was that they had made a conscious effort to enjoy the good points and look beyond the difficult ones.

Over time, I have gained a greater understanding of this concept. I am far from perfect at finding ways to be happy rather than complain, however, I am much better than I used to be at it. So while I am not the best out there, I am a good example of one of the many ways this skill can be acquired through practice. Anyone who knew me as a teenager would likely agree with me. There were times where the entire day would be full of fun and laughter that would end in pathetic tears full of misery because one thing had set me off, and I would choose to dwell on it rather than the enjoyable time I had just experienced. Those were sad times, really. It is so much nicer to even end a day and sleep on even a note of indifference as opposed to unhappiness.

Many people talk about morale. It's interesting how feelings both positive and negative can change the overall emotional state of a group. Additionally, I have found that when there is a persistent feeling of negativity being exuded, it can really take a toll on those within the group (or within immediate proximity) and even dampen the morale of the individuals who generally manage to stay upbeat. Angry or upset feelings are leaching- Actually, more than that. I would go as far to say complaining and pessimism are more like viruses. The antithesis of beneficial. Even those who are trying to prevent catching it can contract it unexpectedly.

This virus is something that I have yet to find a cure to. I'm sure many people have discovered methods, but I still have to find an effective way to help those who suffer from whinitis(1) or grumponia(2). So far, my most successful experiment has been to persevere by trying to keep my own positive vibes up and active. While it is successful in many regards, I'm going to keep looking for a more effective method as I'm almost certain there is one out there. In the mean time, I plan to keep finding ways to be happy in my own life, while hopefully brightening someone else's along the way.

Life is good. Don't forget that.

Renaeionary:

(1) Whinitis: A severe case of the whines and complaints. A difficult ailment to please or satisfy.

(2) Grumponia: A case of the grumpies, often develops into Whinitis (see above). Note: Grumponia is easily contracted on days with high stress levels.