Happiness. & our NEW TEAMMATE!

Before we get into the major blog stuff, I'd like to welcome Kris. We've been friends as long as he has been with my brother, Tanner. And recently, we've discovered that together, we get some great writing and great points out into the world. So, he will join, and post after my postings, so on & so forth. So, without further ado, our topic for today.


Happiness. Webster defines this as a state of well-being and contentment. We have all had experiences that agree with Webster on this. Our first drive, our first love, our first date, our first art show, our first concert, etc. But what is the price to keep this happiness alive? We tend to crash, get our hearts broken, spill the water, break the canvas, and show up late to our most favorite passions in life. So why, I may ask, can this happiness not be contained?

My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Speers, had a poster hung above the door that always read "Happiness is Contagious." and I would always glance at it during class. I loved that saying, and tried so many times to prove it to myself that it was true. I would be nice to my brother for once when I arrived home, just to be short-changed and ignored in return. I would give up a cookie at lunch, still left to feel like an outsider. Even now-a-days, I try and hold onto friendships and the happy memories that were shared, just to get argued with and replaced. Why can we not just hold simply onto the good, and not focus as much on the bad? Why must we feel to raise an argument we can not win? Life has other plans. For some, it makes it extremely hard to feel happiness, if at all.

How can happiness be obtained by someone that Life has decided to outcast? Easy. Put yourself around people who smile constantly. Smiles, much like yawns, are contagious as well. Smile at a stranger on the subway, smile to your barista at the local Starbucks. Even step out on a limb and smile at the boss you just cannot stand. Because even if Life is getting you down, you could always try and make someone else's day. Step outside the selfish box, take a look around. Sure, you may not be happy that day, that week, that decade, but even a smile a day can take you one step closer to even being remotely stable, and maybe pick up another stranger who is having an equally tough time, feel a little better because now that you have passed on a smile, so will they. It's a chain reaction, whether it be scientific or not.

Smile. Be Happy. You only get this Life once. Show it you're in charge, and you will make orange juice with the lemons you've been handed.