Are you happy?

Heidi sent this picture to me yesterday. The timing was perfect. Did you know that yesterday (June 20th) has been identified as “The Happiest Day of the Year.” I was surprised. I thought people might have chosen Christmas or their birthday. Nope, it’s June 20th! Justification for choosing this day might include the prospects of nice weather, the fact that it is the longest day of the year, and the knowledge that it is the first day of Summer.

I’ve had a lot of years to get to know myself, and with close scrutiny, I’ve learned that being happy doesn’t always come easy for me. I have a tendency to be a “The glass is half empty” kind of person. Why is it that some people seem to come into this world with a happy cheerful disposition and others have to work at it? I acknowledge that I have so many reasons to be happy. It’s not that I don’t feel gratitude for the most amazing circumstances of my life. For me, I think it has something to do with feeling responsible for how things turn out. If something is less than perfect I always feel that things might have been better if I had worked harder or made a more concerted personal contribution.

In my desire to be a genuinely happier person I introduced our family to two mottos which we used as our family was growing up. On our bathroom mirrors were the words, “If you’re happy, notify your face!” The second one was posted on the family bulletin board and on the kitchen pantry door. It read,

“Be pretty if you are.
Be witty if you can.
But be cheerful if it kills you!”

I had a really wonderful happy day yesterday. Perhaps tomorrow I will tell you why!