Choosing Happiness

Recently, I read a quote that said this:

Happiness isn't something you get in life. 

Happiness is something you bring to life.

It really resonated with me. 

There are plenty of moments in life that can bring a person down.  Take this weekend, for example. 

I thought it would be nice to take Claire to the Center for the Puppetry Arts to see a puppet show.  We have spent the last few weekends running errands, and Claire has been so patient through it all that I wanted to do something just for her.  

We invited one of her little friends, and on Friday, I made ticket reservations for the Saturday afternoon showtime. 

Unfortunately, when Claire woke up Saturday morning, it was clear she was going to have a rough day.  She has been teething a lot lately, and unfortunately, teething brings on seizures.  After a few seizures, I knew we would have to call off our outing. 

I felt terrible for Claire.  It can't be much fun to have seizures, but on top of that, it just didn't seem fair that she would have to miss an afternoon planned just for her because of them.

Selfishly, I was looking forward to the afternoon, too.  I couldn't wait to see her little face light up when she saw the puppets.  I was excited to hold her in my lap while we watched the show together.  I was eager to spend time with Claire's little friend and her family.  I hated missing the fun.

There was plenty to be upset about, and it would have been easy and perfectly reasonable to throw a pity party.  But then I remembered the above saying, and decided instead to choose happiness.  I have plenty to be thankful for, and even though the afternoon didn't go as planned, I knew there would be others. 

I decided, therefore, that I would make the most out of a less-than-ideal situation.

So, after I gave Claire a sedative to stop her seizures and snuggled her until she fell asleep, I pulled out my card-making supplies and started cutting, punching, and gluing away.  And somehow, as I did, my sadness, disappointment and pity for Claire melted away.  While Claire was restoring her energy through peaceful slumber, I was restoring mine through creative endeavors.

I finished my cards several hours later, just as Claire was waking up.  She awoke bright-eyed and playful.  It was clear the rest had done her some good.  It had done me some good, too.  In addition to having these lovely cards to show for the afternoon, the day served as another reminder that it's all in in how you look at things.  Happiness is not something that happens to you, it's something you make happen.