Did you know we can choose our mood? It’s true. I’m learning this lesson. Choosing happiness is a sign of spiritual maturity, I think. For most people, doing what makes us happy contributes a lot to our mood. But what makes me happy might be different from what makes you smile.
I like to write. Some people feel punished when they have to write a thank-you note, let alone an article. I like to exercise. This is tantamount to torture to some people. I like to practice my cornet and guitar. To anyone who can’t read music or play an instrument, they might as well be handed a Hebrew Bible and be asked to read the Nativity story. (You get it, right? There’s no New Testament in a Hebrew Bible.)
Maybe you’re in your glory while golfing or gardening or mowing your yard. Maybe baking dozens of cookies gets you going, or organizing a closet makes you feel productive and peaceful.
In all these cases, we chose what we wanted to do, right? And it brought a smile to our faces. It probably also made everyone around us happier, too.
It’s wonderful to be around happy people. They lift my mood, I can assure you. And they often offer a new perspective on situations simply because they aren’t weighed down by worry. They spread joy. And if you pick up on their joy, you can spread it, too.
So what if, instead of looking for pleasant, happy people to spend time with, you choose to be joyful? What if people smile when they see you’ve texted them because they know you’ll have something positive to say? What if you always leave people feeling better because you help turn their thoughts toward the good in life?
I’m working on this. I’m trying to catch myself when I start dumping on people. I want to be the person people enjoy talking to because I don’t drag them down. I want to be the person who pulls them up.
It’s going to take a lot of work for me. I’m instinctively serious and melancholy. I ruminate (turn thoughts over in my mind obsessively).
But when I see a cardinal hopping along on pristine snow, I remember that life is beautiful. If there’s snow on the ground, it’s cold, right? But that breathtaking scarlet bird is hopping along, cold but happy. And he’s making me happy, simply by being there.
That’s the kind of person I want to be. The next time you see a cardinal, smile, and pass your joy along.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!