Let’s talk happiness; the seedy underbelly of what makes all the grime we go through in life worthwhile. When are you at your happiest and what incites those warm fuzzy feelings deep within your soul? So many different answers to this I always hear: the first time I saw my child after being born, looking at my SO down the wedding aisle, coming in first place at this tournament etc. The week of a fight, I know when I’m thinking happiness I am thinking intently about victory pizza. Judge me ha. But that melty gooey deliciousness being stuffed down my gullet after a win surrounded by the people I love and a pint of whiskey brings me joy. We have such a limited and finite time on this earth to experience pure unadulterated happiness, that I wonder why so many of us deprive ourselves of the little things that make us happy. A simple hot shower, decadent meal, massage, face mask, good book, deep movie etc. Many times it isn’t one focal instance that makes us happy, but an accumulation of all the little things that brought a smile to our face.
Sometimes just cuddling up with my dog makes me immeasurably giddy, and I feel calm and at peace with the world. Organizing and cleaning the house does wonders for my mental clarity as well as boring and dull as that sounds. Cooking delicious and scrumptious foods and baking delectable and eye appealing treats is something else that makes me one happy Sam. I’ve also learned many of the things that do seem to get me down and how to avoid them, such as being surrounded by a constant bombardment of people, a messy house, a migraine, lack of sleep or rest etc. I am trying to be better about making sure I take the time to care for my mental and physical wellbeing or risk suffering a complete and total breakdown. And it makes me wonder why we hold on to the little hiccups in the day and allow them to permeate and poison our soul until we go to bed haggard and miserable at the whole world. I mean, did we truly have a bad day or did we allow one insignificant snafu ruin our entire mood?
I like how I am sitting here doling out life advice like I don’t routinely break down into tears in the shower for no apparent reason. Basically the very definition of stability over here. But I am aware of the things I both need to do and should be doing in order to better myself but dammit, sometimes it is just hard. And I get it. That’s life. But I have learned that tears are not a sign of weakness and I will always admire the man or woman who can cry it out and then get right back to fighting their battle minutes later and won’t ever relent. Fighting is hard, Jiu Jitsu is difficult, relationships require work, jobs thrive on effort, and dear lord if parenting isn’t about the most difficult thing on the planet, but every single one of those things has the potential to reap the greatest of rewards and benefits. Sometimes it’s good for me to remember that much of what has caused my greatest heartaches and grievances has also brought me my highest achievements and feelings of elated worthiness. It kind of depends on the spin I put on every situation. Can I really chalk this up to a loss in life or was it merely an opportunity for me to learn and therefore grow? Am I being buried beneath the dirt or am I actually being planted so that I may thrive? I find that being more inquisitive about various situations has allowed me to expand my mind and provided me with opportunities to strive.
Things are not always what they seem. Check on your friends, on your “strong” family members, on the unequivocally jovial person you know and recognize that the mask they present the world might simply in fact actually be a mask. It’s good to explore beneath the surface and get to the root of what makes us fundamentally the way we are. I am trying to invigorate my inner Bruce Lee and be more like water, simply going with the flow and not impeding the natural course of things. But gosh darn it, will I do everything within my power to help propel me along the way. And if I suffer a few minor setbacks, so be it. I know I am surrounded by strong and capable people and I’d like to count myself among those number as well. Telling myself these things helps instill the confidence I need to tackle certain obstacles in my way and I plan on facing everything head on and with sass.
Long story short, I am trying to reinvigorate myself with the things that set my soul ablaze with happiness. I have learned to take a step back and not befuddle my brain with the little things out of my control threatening to dampen my mood and set a dark cloud on my wellbeing. I am learning to be okay with minor setbacks and not let them define me as a person. I know my family always sees me in a positive light which is honestly such a great feeling, regardless of how I perform in my various extra curricular activities. I think we often put so much pressure on ourselves to reach this lengthy pursuits that when we fall a bit short, it crushes our hearts. But that’s no reason to harken our soul and cloud our minds with such pure negativity. What will getting upset accomplish besides putting yourself in a sour and downtrodden mood? Honestly, ain’t nobody got time for that! I’m just gonna keep being out here living my best life and hopefully partaking in an all you can eat sushi and pizza session come Sunday. 🙂
