Disclaimer: I am not yet able to be happy whatever happens. Some things make me mad, or upset, or worried, or (insert real emotion here). I am trying, however, to choose to be happy and loving in every situation.
When discussing this with friends, I have come across arguments like this to remind me to be a realist: “You can’t just put a happy face sticker on my gas gauge and expect it to fill with gas.”
I thought upon this for quite some time. Of course, being happy will not fill an empty gas tank in the literal sense, but that phrase and others like it have always felt discordant. I thought about how I always encourage my children to choose to be happy. It’s the same thing really if your gas tank goes empty. You can get upset, blame yourself for not noticing, worry about being late to wherever you were headed, or you can choose to be happy.
So, you’ve run out of gas. The Universe, God, Creator (insert your diety, dieties, or non-diety here) decided you needed a break from your hectic schedule. You have been so focused on the day-to-day tasks that occupy your time that you have forgotten to take time for yourself and live. What will you do?
Option 1: Get mad, grab your phone call the road service, towing company, significant other. Stress out about how late you are going to be, throw a fit on the side of the road, yell and scream at how unfair it all is.
Option 2: Take a deep breath, realize what a beautiful day it is (rain or shine it doesn’t matter). Put a smile on your face and yell, “Yahoo! I don’t have to go to work today!” Choosing to be happy even when something isn’t going how you planned makes every day brighter. After all, every day something is not going as you planned. That can often be a very good thing.
Scenario 1 played out: You have a miserable day. The road assistance is too slow, you’ve rumpled your clothes or gotten dirty. At work (finally), you are irritable. People avoid you or annoy you. Your day is very unpleasant.
Scenario 2 played out: Out of gas today – that sucked. You stopped and looked around a little today. You probably haven’t done that in a while, it was nice. Work was skipped – it’ll hurt the paycheck, but what an unexpected treat. Everyone will understand that you are a little behind for a day or two. Someone new came into your life, if only briefly, when they helped you to the gas station. Slowing down really brought some peace and joy into your day.
Did a smiley face fill your gas tank? Of course, not. But it sure made your day bearable, and maybe you even had a little fun.
🙂