Happy

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I saw an interesting quote by John Mellencamp that made me think.

“Happiness is a fleeting moment in a day. It’s not a state of being. If you’re happy all the time there’s something wrong with you. We were put on this Earth to toil and to make things. Making the world a better place is not a happy job.”

Everyone who has followed Mellencamp knows that he is a surly guy. He sometimes goes by the moniker, “Lil’ Bastard.’

He writes songs that are downright depressing, but he’s a brilliant songwriter.

And I get that quote.

I know people who act like they’re happy all the time. They do seem a little off. They drive me crazy too when they act all bubbly all the time.

And it seems that we are conditioned to work and to suffer to get through our days.

Coincidentally, I saw a Twitter post from a guy who said that he tried to go an entire day without complaining about anything.

He claimed that day one was hard, but that a few weeks in he was much happier (there’s that word again) because life without complaining made his days much more smooth.

There’s no doubt that how you think certainly influences how happy you might feel in moments throughout the day.

I know people who complain and whine constantly. They aren’t much fun to be around and they certainly seem to hate their lives.

Would you describe your life as happy?

Kathy sometimes refers to me as:

“Mr. Happy Go Lucky,” which is coincidentally a name of a Mellencamp record, as he made a mockery of how people referred to him!

Sometimes I think that our ambitions dictate how happy we feel from day-to-day.

Most every day I have a lot to do.

Getting things done to my own satisfaction results in some days being less of a festival than other days.

But I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as unhappy.

I have a good time for moments on any given day.

“You don’t smile enough.” 

I’ve heard that a time or two.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I’ll say.

And I wonder about the millions of Americans out there fighting to keep their heads above water.

How would they answer the question? 

How would you answer the question?

Are you happy?

I hope so, but JM is right…

…if you’re happy all the time…

…there’s something wrong with you.

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