The Secret to Happiness!

I was watching TV today and there is this advertisement for "What is the Secret to Happiness!" Well, it made me think for a few minutes about what makes me truly happy. So here are a few thoughts on the subject according to Valora....grin!

Years ago I went through some situational depression. In short, I had suffered partial paralysis. It was one of the toughest few months of my life. The hardest part was loosing the feeling in my face and not being able to laugh right or smile normally. That's when I realized how much a simple smile makes us happy. Just the act of making a smile lifts our spirits and the spirits of others who smile back. When I could smile again I was SO relieved!

Another thing I've learned in life about happiness...My Secret is out!
I'm in charge of my own happiness. I can't lean on my husband, my children, friends or co workers for my own happiness. This may sound harsh, but husbands do die suddenly, friends move away and children grow up and start their own families. Happiness is something you have to find and support and feed on your own. Yes, people do add to our happiness. But you can sit in a room full of people and still be unhappy. When I realized this concept I started seeing the Silver Lining in life. Even if I couldn't have regained my muscles in my face, I would have learned to smile on the inside again.

When I learned to walk again my son's cheered me on. One son would see me getting frustrated and angry from time to time and would quote the movie Little Nemo and say, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" I would then start laughing and couldn't be angry anymore. I sure love my son for helping me that day. An example of how positive people can contribute to our happiness. But if I'd been determined to be sad or angry, no amount of silliness would have helped.

This year all three of our older cars broke down in one week. We all had a good laugh about it and my first thought was, "Tell those cars to stop communicating with each other!" A year ago I would have sat there and cried from the overwhelming worry I would have felt. Now I looked at it as a challenge, a stumbling block to over come or work around. So we picked the easiest and cheapest one to fix and moved on from there. It took a while, but all cars are working now.

I actually had a lady from church ask me one day if I felt like Job from the Bible? I was shocked that my life's trials might seem so overwhelming to anyone. They weren't to me. That's when I remembered something my dear friend Claudia always says and I paraphrase this. That when we see other peoples problems and what they are living through it seems like too much to handle. That's when we realize that we are just fine with our own personal trials in life and we wouldn't trade them with anyone else. Heavenly Father will never give us anything we can't handle.

What I've lived through and overcome in my own life has made me a better person and I'm grateful and appreciate my life and family more now than ever! Now that is happiness!