People misunderstand happiness. They think it’s the absence of trouble. That’s not happiness, that’s luck. Happiness is the ability to live well alongside trouble.
-- Rachel Kadish, Tolstoy Lied: A Love Story

Have you ever thought that as soon as you get through this thing you’re going through, this thing you’ve been going through for a very long time, this thing that just never seems to be different or go away – have you ever thought that as soon as it does, you’ll be happy?

Have you thought that perhaps what you’re going through means you can’t be, shouldn’t be happy? So you walk around always worried, always grumpy, never having fun, always wishing this thing would go away so that you can find yourself some happiness and fulfillment? You’re miserable and depressed, the people around you don’t want to be around you because you’re always irritable and complaining, and there seems to be no end to your troubles or your sour moods. You wait for your turn, looking for the rainbow, all the while moping around and wishing for a different set of circumstances. If only you could be happy, you think.

The truth of the matter is you can be happy. There’s no reason for you to be walking around God’s green earth unhappy and denying yourself opportunities to be happy. Without a doubt life can be hard and confusing and can have you caught in a wringer at any time. But even when despair seems to be your only friend, happiness is merely a breath away.

It comes down to thinking of your situation differently than you normally would, of looking at a larger picture of your life than the one you’re currently hanging on to, and giving yourself room and permission to experience something more than your current place. All of that means unlearning or defying some habits and going against the feelings of the moment. It means looking into those moments and pulling from them energy, excitement, and harmony that supersede all anguish. It means acknowledging that your stuff exists, stinks, hurts, and needs resolution, but choosing to be in high spirits, relaxed, and free from anxiety in spite of the stuff. It means staring your stuff in the face, taking a deep breath then saying, “so what, you can’t steal or still my joy!”

So you have no money; you can still be happy knowing that the money you’ve spent has sustained you and your family. Maybe your health is failing you. You can still be happy because you’re here right now breathing and being loved. You sleep alone, but you can still be happy because you know you’re too fabulous to sleep alone forever, so in the meantime, you bless your honey wherever he or she is.

Though happiness can be fleeting, you deserve to experience it. And no matter what your life looks or feels like, it’s up to you to seek happiness at every turn. Right beside your worries, underneath your troubles, behind your heartache, in the bigger picture – there is where you will find happiness. Go get it.

Sadiqqa © 2007