by Andi B.

Yesterday as I was taking my husband to work “bright and ugly,” I grumbled my usual, “Nothing good happens at 5:30 in the morning.” Then in a rare moment of thought not centered on my own life, I thought of the people headed up the mountain to snowboard. And then I remembered leaving around this same time in the morning to go to Sears Point or Laguna Seca Raceways with my dad. I would be so excited I could hardly get to sleep, and I would wake up moments before the alarm ready to roll.
I wondered why the difference. Was it because I knew something good was going to happen that day? Or did I just suppose something good would happen? Any one of horrific things could have happened, but I could only focus on the undivided time I would have with my dad, the fun I would have riding around the racetrack on the back of the Course Marshall crew truck. How does purposeful happiness affect reality?
I don’t believe I could possibly intend happiness everyday; I’m just not that sort of person. If the world were still high school, I’d be the nerdy cynic. That doesn’t mean I can’t decide to focus on at least one positive thing that will happen in the day. For example, today is payday, and I can honestly say income is better than not, so that’s a happy thing.
We’ve started house hunting again. My fellow editor and I have started a new project that I hope some of you will be as excited about as we are. I’m extremely happy about all of the things in our life. I could focus on the moments where things aren’t progressing or on the work at hand and the positive changes.
How do you implement the happiness quotient in your life? Do you think that choosing to be happy can change the way you live? Or is it even possible to choose to be happy?

Andi B.

Andi B.