"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sundays View - How do you stay happy when among tooooxic people?


When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you God, I am alive today!

I remember reading once (don't remember where) that you should get up in the morning and clap that you're alive! Now do I do that? No, for a couple reasons - one is while I am thankful to bet up, I'm one that needs to put my head on for a couple of minutes - I used to jump right out of bed, now I don't. The second reason is - people here would think I'm nuts (Lol)!

Seriously thought - this is my 'gut' belief. Whether you get up with someone or alone. if you look and see snow or sun, if it is cold or hot, if you are in the desert or a lush forest, whether you are old or young, whether you are (you get my drift) we all (of course only if you want to be happy) have to look out to the world and thank God you are alive. That you have one more day to life, love, talk, feel, pray, see, hear, whatever.

I believe that no matter where you are - no matter who you're with - whatever you're circumstances are - if you choose you want to be happy you can be happy. Even if it is just for a second the first time. Once that's 'planted' you can go for two seconds and so forth.

Is it automatic? Heck no. Is it easy? Heck no. Does it take time? Heck yes. But if you are in a place where you are more unhappy than happy - you need to look at what you can do about it. You could physically move or you can mentally move.

What is a mental move? You can be in a crowd of unhappy people - but your own core is happy. What others are doing or saying doesn't matter. You can be happy in spite of what goes on around you. You do not let others or things make unhappy. Core happiness.

Have I gotten there yet? I'm a work in progress. To be honest, I can't be a in crowd of unhappy people for a long period of time and be one super happy person all the time inside. Sometimes I can take it for awhile and then I get like Popeye, I get to the point that I just can't stand it anymore. Toxicity weighs me down. I need to get stronger.

However as I age (and get where things don't bother me as much) and I continuously choose to grow and I try to think happy thoughts, do happy things, spend time with happy people, self talk myself, look for the good things in life, and try to see the beauty and happiness in the world - I sure am getting better at staying happy inside when I am with toxic people (that is what I call them) than I used to be. I'm getting to know more who I am, where I'm at and what I want.

So what about you?

I think before real change can take place - you must be happy from within - as you take yourself with you where ever you go.

So tell me what you think - and be honest. I love to learn about others and what others think. Plus if you have some advice for me - it's happily taken. Tell me what you do to be happy. How do you deal with cantankerous people? How do you get past letting their unhappiness make you unhappy? Chatty would love to know.

Chatty

4 comments:

JeanMac said...

Your post touched me - I have decided to think as many positive thoughts as I can about any given situation.It snowed last night and for a moment I dreaded shoveling - then I changed my thoughts to how beautiful it was and that I'd get fresh air doing it - I am definitely a work in progress. Thanks for posting this.

Chatty Crone said...

I'm glad you liked it and believe me, I right there in the trenches with you working. It does make life much better.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

What a wonderful post today.
I move into mental mode of happiness very, very often. Life at home is difficult, a great deal of the time.
If I give into the negativity, it's just too intolerable. So, years ago, I decided to slip into a happier place. When I see our dogs going into the bathroom to escape, they are sensitive to their surroundings, I grab them and take us all for a hike in the fields behind the high school. Then, I go get a senior cup of coffee at McD's, and drive out in the country to see cows, sheep and horses. The corgi kids enjoy this too, and I roll down the windows so they can stick their necks out. Sometimes, the cows meander over the fence, making us all happier.
Life is wonderful, but a trial at the same time. It is, what we allow it to be. How it affects us. I'm not always successful at making things happier in my head...but...there are good books to hide in, and cups of tea to sip for comfort. Everybody has something that they have to deal with. Everybody. We have to find our own islands in the sea of poop.
he hee.

Chatty Crone said...

Oh dear Corgidogmama,

My life seems to much the way yours is. Life is difficult and I have to fight the negativity around me too! I want so much more out of life than that.
I have my escapes too. I know everyone has something to deal with.
I love this quote, "We have to find our own island in the sea of poop." Couldn't have said it better.