I'm always trying to find the upside of things. Why not? Make the best of a bad situation, lemons into lemonade, all that. Sometimes all it takes is just knowing that I choose to be wherever, experiencing whatever.
Actually, now that I think about it, I see that it's a way of accepting responsibility. I'm only where I am because of the choices I've made. So, I accept, and thereby am able to be happy wherever, whenever.
Even the female inmates (when I was working at
Lane Murray Prison Unit) noticed this. As one officer was walking an inmate by my office door, the inmate commented "Mr. Pickett is so different from everyone else working here. He is so cheerful all the time." The officer replied, "Yes, he's a very happy fellow, isn't he?"
And so I am. What an empowering realization.
This is why everyone loves being around you. You're a terrorist for happiness. If someone doesn't enjoy your presence, there's something wrong with them. This isn't said in snark, and I remember the terrorist accusation.
ReplyDeleteIf someone reacts to you negatively, they're feeling threatened by your antidote to their unhappiness. You aren't immune to an occasional slide into despair, but your nature is far above that.
I'm serious. You've helped me see that being angry in this world is pointless.
Thanks, Wendy. You're right, I have my moments of self-pity. Thankfully, they are few and far inbetween.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know that I've been a positive presence for you. That's the kind of person I've always striven to be.