If You're Happy and You Know It

Clap your hands. You must be doing something right.

Life is full of emotion. Turmoil. Up and down. If you're not feeling it, you're not living it. It's life.

Unhappy has a way of getting our attention. It's hard to ignore the sick feeling in our stomach, stress head aches, shivering nerves. When we feel the urge to scream and pull out our hair we know we're unhappy. With tears on our cheeks, an ache in our hearts and a lump in our throat -- we just know.

What makes us unhappy doesn't go unnoticed. We notice. We tell people -- anyone who will listen. We dwell, giving sadness more time and importance than it deserves. We think, with hindsight and wisdom, how we could have changed hurts that are over and done with. We fret and we regret. We let it effect our mood and our day and our mood in the days to come. When we're unhappy we know it.

When we're happy we know it. We definitely notice the difference -- because the difference is astounding. There is no comparison. Any one of us would choose happy over sad. Peace over disappointment. Joy over hurt. Contentment over anger. Love over hate. To know one, is to appreciate the other. That is the key to happiness. Knowing it, wanting it, appreciating it and choosing it.

Happy is laughter. A sweet smile. A peaceful feeling or soft warm glow. The quick rush of excitement, or an all consuming, uplifting, high spirited joy. It's fleeting and then it's gone -- because we let go.

Why don’t we make happiness a big deal? Why don’t we respond as strongly to the better feeling emotions brought on by happiness? We don't mull contentment over or dwell on it. It just is. We don't let exhilaration affect our mood or our day. It just does. We don't make bliss an issue. Or work to hang on to delight. But we could.

Happiness is . . . knowing and understanding and most of all appreciating everything that makes us feel good. It's knowing that without the bad, the good wouldn't mean quite so much. Without the heartache of loss and the heartbreak of hurt, your heart wouldn't know how -- to skip a beat . . . or flutter . . . or race . . . or pitter patter.

Notice the bad things. Let them go. Notice the good and be grateful. Hold on as long as you can. And be happy that you can recognize the difference.