We Can Choose To Be Happy

We all have choices. Our choices sometimes make us happy but other times they make us sad. What we choose to do and how we chose to act affects our immediate life and our long range goals. We can make some changes in our choices and learn to love life again.

When I was growing up, neighbors on either side of my parents were as different as night and day. Our neighbors on the left side had a beautiful, enormous pecan tree that allows produced many pecans. They were older adults without children of their own. For some reason, they did not seem happy. He worked extra hours and they screamed a lot when he was home. It seemed that they never had people over except for a few family members who were acted the same of them and were never smiling, friendly or happy. They used to yell at us for picking up some pecans from under their tree, even though they never gathered them. They were cranky and really didn't want to be friendly.

The neighbors on the right side were always smiling and laughing. There always seemed to be outdoor activities which involved their children and neighborhood children. Family and friends were always visiting their house. They never seemed to mind having extra kids around and always had time to share stories, fun and laughter.

Watching both neighbors and getting to know them as I grew up, helped me to learn how to be happy. I learned what kinds of things made people happy and what kinds of things prevented that happiness from touching others. There are certain things that can be done to find peace and happiness but other things just need to be avoided to continue your happiness.

The first thing that we must do is decide that we want to be happy. Being happy is not a given with life. Everything that we do plays a part in our happiness. When we decide to look at the good things in our life, we are on the way to finding our true happiness. How can a person figure out what the good things that make them happy are? You have to be both alert and aware of your feelings of happiness and make special effort to remember what it was that brought on that happiness.