Wow. Another year, already? 2022 was filled with some bad and quite a bit of good, I guess….depending on how you view the world. After watching a news clip of 2022, I’d say it looked mostly bad. It seems that for most people as we age, things get less hopeful.
Watching the list of famous people who died this year, I realized sadly that quite a few were suicides. It’s sad to think that things seemed so bleak that they didn’t want to go on. There was no hope left. It’s easy to get pulled down by the the news, or the state of the world, or even humanity itself. But every once in awhile, there’s some small positive story that sheds a little light on the world.
I was born with a couple of those “happiness” genes so I’m naturally looking for the silver lining in almost everything. For me, this is great. I’m rarely sad, everyday is an opportunity for an adventure, I’m up for anything, and typically smiling my way through life. But it’s also very clear to me that I’m different from most people in that way. In fact, sometimes it rubs people the wrong way. Once, in an argument a close friend of said he didn’t believe my “happiness” was real. It stopped me dead in my tracks…wait, what? Not only did I think this was an odd thing to bring up in the middle of an argument, but now my personality is a problem? We laugh about this now, but that comment made me more aware of how different I am.
Over the years, I’ve had conversations with friends who’ve had issues and I’ve tried to get them to see the positive in their situation. But I’ve found that most people do not want to view their problems in a positive light. They want to be sad, angry, or just downright mad at the world. My mother once said to me that complaining was one of the few pleasures she has in life. Wait, what? The irony of this statement (being her oldest daughter) was not lost on me.
Every once in a while, I see someone’s perspective about how they view life and it makes me terribly sad. I can’t imagine a life that has no options. Of course, there are always options but not being able to see them…is hopelessness.
As we start this new year, I encourage you to seek out all of your options…I promise there are more than what you think you’re being presented with. If you find yourself constantly talking about something that bugs you (work, relationships, people) it might be time to make some changes. Enjoy those little moments with your family, friends, and pets. Be grateful for what you have. Take a look around you, you have a lot. Appreciate that every day.
Creating a Simplified Life 