All of us are bombarded these days with a disaster of some kind: political, economic, natural disasters are everywhere in the news, in office conversations, etc. That’s not to mention the “disasters” we may be facing in our personal lives.
It’s overwhelming, but sometimes, all it takes to get our minds off of all of the disasters is something simple—simple enough to slow us down for a moment and remember that we can be happy.
This charming article, “Why Not Be Happy”, from a 1906 holiday edition of the magazine Vibrant Life, is a sweet reminder of that. It’s easy to read it and brush it off as old-fashioned and unrealistic. But don’t brush it off until you try what it suggests first.
Why Not Be Happy?
Certainly, why not? You have everything in this big, wide world to make you happy. Nothing is lacking. It is all here yet. And if you still desire love, peace, and happiness, go to work and win some. If looked properly, this is really quite a nice, good, kind, and beautiful world. If you don’t believe it, there is something foolish troubling your heart, mind, conscience, or eyesight…
By all means, improve your health first of all. You cannot be happy unless you are healthy. If the organs in your body are playing inharmoniously, the discord will naturally make you miserable; and in order to make them play sweetly, you must tune them up with some common-sense health principles…
If your health is good, but you are suffering with a nervous temperament, you can become happy by cultivating peace… Spend as much time as possible out of doors. Ramble off with yourself, occasionally. Cultivate all the nice, peaceful people you can find. If you can’t find any, attract some by being peaceful yourself. And if you are forced to live with warlike folk, refuse to be squelched (that is, don’t give up being happy and doing good)…
Maybe you are unhappy because you are sensitive and notice things that do not exist, too much. In this case, perhaps more than in any other, you need to cultivate common sense; it is the leading way out of your difficulty…
Try to realize, dear one, that the folk with who you come in contact each day, do not spend their time in studying up ways to hurt your feelings. They are really too busy doing other, nobler things to give you so much attention…
Go to work at once, dear child, and see if you do not improve. Your task may be as simple as carrying flowers and books to the sick. But even that will help greatly…
Reprinted with permission from “Vibrant Life” by Heather Quintana, 2013
Thank you very much for sharing this article! I really needed to read something like this. Yes, I was feeling squelched, but the Lord through you help me to see the things with new eyes ♥ Thank you very much again!
Poliana, praise God! It really is the simple reminders that can bring our focus back to what really matters. 🙂