In honor of the first weekly Oasis for YA meme - Thankful for Thursday - I thought I'd tell you about my mom (whom I'm immensely thankful for). My mom is this crazy, happy-all-the-time person who makes everyone around her feel sunnier. She has a saying: Happiness is a choice.
Now, this saying doesn't do much to improve the attitudes my six & five years olds. But seeing as how there's a good measure of truth in her words, I figure I ought to act like I've heard the wisdom she's trying to impart on me. And one of the best ways to be happy is to be grateful... particularly in times when it'd be just as easy to be bitter.
One of my favorite examples from her is this time she went shopping and bought diet soda and seltzer. As she was putting the cans away in her laundry room, she dropped a can of seltzer, it hit the tile floor, burst open, and sprayed her selves and various portions of the room with seltzer. Her reaction? Rather than being pissed or grouching about the mess, she choose to be grateful that it wasn't the diet coke that had dropped.
I'm not sure if I have it in me to be as positive as she is -- or to find the good even in bad situations. But I'm trying. I'm trying not to let this publishing business get me down, and instead think that every "no" is bringing me closer to the person meant to say "yes." I'm trying to remember that my writing friends' successes take nothing away from me and let my happiness for them be filling and genuine. And I'm trying to be grateful for all the countless things that are right in my life and let the few that are "wrong" float away.
I'm not sure I can accomplish all of these things. But I know if I can, more things to be grateful for will come my way.
What have you chosen to be happy about lately?
