We have all had bad things happen to us. Sometimes those things are beyond our being able to understand the reason. People we love run away with someone; nature might take all our possessions away; we might get hurt, or get a devastating disease; or we might lose a loved one to death. Bad things happen.
I am not going to say, “Do not be sad,” because that is the last thing our minds need when we are going through trauma. I will not say, “Try to feel better because things will improve,” because sometimes things don’t improve and may even become worse. I will not say, “Keep a stiff upper lip,” meaning that you shouldn’t feel emotional about what has happened.
What I will say is to be happy; not happy that we have to go through a particular ordeal, but happy that we are still here to face it.
Each morning I meditate for a short time and just think of all my blessings. What am I thankful for? Here are some of the things: being alive to face another day no matter what happens, having my senses so I can listen to the birds singing and feel my soft blanket and smell the fresh air coming in the window. I’m thankful for having running water, a house to live in (even if the basement does flood in the rain), having loving children, having a mind full of curiosity, questions and doubts. I’m thankful for seeing the sky whether it is bright blue or a Cornish overcast. I’m thankful for feeling the chill of a Wisconsin winter and having frozen fingers. I’m thankful for those fingers too. Once you begin to see how much we are blessed, there is no end to our thankfulness. This is what leads me to being happy.
So, you might think, “Nothing bad has ever happened to this person so it is easy for Edward to feel happy.” If you read my book, Mediums Not So Rare, you might find that I have been going through some pretty tough events in my life; divorce, losing most of what I had, being out of work, being alone for ten years, and getting stage IV cancer. But, I am still happy.
The blessings in my life outweigh any negatives. In fact, I look at the hardships of life as being my greatest teacher; it’s what I have come to earth to learn. That makes those negative lessons another blessing. I have realized that only by experiencing the bad things of life can I appreciate the goodness of life too.
Sometimes we just need to tell ourselves that we are happy. Look into a mirror and smile at yourself. Do it! Don’t leave that mirror until your smile is turned up and feels natural. If this is hard for you, practice smiling each day and repeat, “I am happy!” When you answer the phone, smile before you answer. It does make a difference in the energy you put forth. Don’t dwell on your hardships. Appreciate all the bad in your life as being there for you to learn from and decide that you can still be happy; not happy for others, but happy for yourself.
Yes, I am happy.
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