I woke up this morning so excited to go out into the warm spring sunshine…I put on my short sleeved shirt and sandals, and I opened my door to find ridiculously cold wind and rain! NOOOOOO!!!…. Back inside I went to change my sandals for winter shoes and put on my warmest sweater. I was so disappointed! I do NOT like cold rainy weather…I JUST WANT SUNSHINE!!!
As I began driving to work, totally grumpy about the weather, I realized how much I had let bad weather affect my mood. I had been excited about the day when I thought there was going to be sunshine out my door, yet here I was feeling all bummed out and down…was I really going to let a little rain have that much control of my happiness? That’s when it hit me – some days you just have to be willing to create your own sunshine!
It’s amazing how just a simple thought is all it took to help me pull myself out of my grumpy mood into a happy mood again. It was that simple thought that helped me recognize how silly I was being to let external factors impact my decision to be happy today.
As my daughter always reminds me, “Happiness is a choice!” Happiness doesn’t come from the sunshine or any other external factor. Happiness is nothing more than a decision we make. Happiness is deciding to focus on the positive things instead of the negative. Happiness is deciding to keep difficult external circumstances in perspective with how blessed life truly is. Happiness is deciding to be grateful for every amazing thing in life.
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,
always bring your own sunshine.”
– Anthony J.D. Angelo
I want to close with a poem that perfectly illustrates how a little change of thought can change our entire perspective:
Worst Day Ever? (by Chanie Gorkin)
Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don’t try to convince me that
There’s something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don’t last.
And it’s not true that
It’s all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one’s surroundings are good
It’s not true that good exists
I’m sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It’s all beyond my control
And you’ll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day
Now read that same poem again, this time starting at the bottom line and reading it upward and with that simple shift in perspective you will see how the poet really felt about her day.
Create your own sunshine – choose to be happy! And have a fabulous weekend, no matter what the weather does 🙂
~Amy
2 Comments
That is one awesome poem . . . read backward. How cool is that!?!?! When I was a little kid I sang a song I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart – to stay. When I remember that, I can also remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that can take that joy away – unless I let it. And I’m not going to. I guess that’s another way of saying I’m creating my own sunshine. I hadn’t thought about that before.
Wow! Awesome Poem