Happiness is Finding a Pencil

I'm not your average 18 year old. I find joy in some of the most random things in life. I also work very hard to find joy in as much as I can every single day in life. I wasn't always like this; I can't quite put my finger on when happy-go-lucky became my mantra, but it's something I believe in with all my heart. The funny thing about it is that this way of viewing things is such a total part of my life that I sometimes forget that other people don't look at things quite the same way that I do. It's a little uncomfortable when I get reminded of that, like last night...

It was a night spent with my beloved Section 7, we left school and got something to eat (Chipotle is just as good in NYC!), and then grabbed my copy of The Shining and headed to 1760 EHS Residence to watch that sucker. It was a delightful night. I had a wonderful time, because I love just spending time with people, talking and watching movies and doing random things that we can laugh at later and no one else will understand. But somehow the conversation turned to more serious things, and mostly the issues people had with those things; people talking about school, about our Section and the people in it, about their home lives. And to discuss is one thing. But that really wasn't quite what this was. This was people talking about their dissatisfactions with their current situations, complaining. Negativity.

And it made me uncomfortable. It's not like the things they were saying weren't legitimate- I'm not someone who won't admit that life is less than perfect most of the time. But Because I am in such a happy place, it took me totally by surprise to realize that most people aren't. Most people are unhappy about many things, and (I'll admit) most of them have a right to be. There are lots of not-so-perfect, not-so-happy things in this world, even in my life. But I just don't care to care about those things. I'd much rather be amazed at how many wonderful things there are in my life. That's worth focusing on.

It reminds me of a song: Happiness is... finding a pencil. Pizza with sausage. Five different crayons. Telling the time. Having a sister. Climbing a tree. Two kinds of ice cream. Happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you. There were many reasons that I loved being a part of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. That song was one of biggest. We could all take a lesson from it. I find happiness in everything I can- in being flustered at the NYC post office, the fact that I have play-doh sitting on top of my desk, the fact that we have tried three times to sit through The Shining since I've been here and haven't succeeded once, walking through the rain to school with my ipod playing my jams; these are the joys of my life. And when life's imperfections show themselves, don't get unhappy about it. Thank those imperfections for making life interesting! A perfect world would probably be a drag anyway.

Wake up in the morning (feelin' like P. Diddy) and choose to be happy, choose to find happiness, even if it's in the smallest thing like... finding a pencil. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it. Choose to find happiness, and you will. I guarantee it. :)