Saying You’re Happy

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I have to admit. I’m probably one of the happiest people I know. My wife might argue otherwise (I have my moments), but actually even she complains about how laid back and positive I am about things. In fact, I think she probably wishes that sometimes I’d just get angry and upset over stuff. I’ll admit. I just love life and am generally happy.

I’m not saying this to brag. I don’t think it’s really anything I did. It’s a feature that came with me when I was born and no doubt was shaped by the way my parents raised me. At this point, it’s really just a part of who I am. I’ve been given some gift that lets me see the best in situations. While a lot of people preach this, for me it just comes as second nature.

What’s odd is how many people say they’re happy when they’re really not happy. Facebook is the worst for this. I’m always amazed at all the happy posts I see on Facebook from people who I know aren’t happy at all. The happy person inside me wants to think that it’s a good thing that these people are trying to find the good in a tough situation, but I think there’s more to the story.

I love social media, but it’s far from a true representation of who we are. My wife is one of the only people I know who really honestly posts to Facebook (sometimes to my chagrin). I love the connection with other people, but we have to be careful on social media. It’s a huge mistake to compare one person’s persona on social media with our own personal state. How dangerous is it for us to compare our worst perceptions of ourselves against our “friends” best image of themselves?

Similar to this, I can’t say how many times I’ve met people who flaunt their affection for their spouse (online or in public places, it doesn’t matter). Shortly after, they get divorced. I think that many of these people are trying to make their best effort to show affection in order to mask what’s really happening.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against public displays of affection (ask my wife). However, those public displays have to be backed up by real affection and action. I’m certainly far from perfect at this, but I try. Take for example today during lunch. I was hungry and tired. Did I want to put the dishes away? No! I wanted to turn on Ellen and wait for my food to be ready. However, I knew how much my wife would appreciate the dishes being put away. So, I sucked it up and did it.

Of course, the real beauty of what I did is that I get the reward as much as my wife. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my wife happy. My happiness being dependent on my wife’s happiness is a story for another day.

Long story short: Be Happy…don’t just say you’re happy. (Easy for me to say!)