happiness dissected.

happiness dissected.
Some images that make me happy: sketching letterforms and experimenting with type, window light/heat,  my best friends excitement about wedding plans, and a game of no-rules ice hockey finished off with dynamite...


all these images are on my instagram, @smilemepretty

I'm taking "the Anatomy of Peace in Relationships" and "Positive Living".  which kinda makes it seem like i'm currently buried in conflict and grief and trying to pull myself out of it.  If you read my blog, you probably think that i'm a pretty happy person. you're right. i am. And yet for some reason i'm taking classes to try understand how, or what that truly means. For one of my classes I interviewed a few people about happiness. I thought it would be interesting to interview my parents and a few close friends.

 I asked them what their definition of happiness was:

"Being with those you love and knowing you are loved also"
"satisfaction with whats happening in your life"
"Knowing I'm in good standing with God."
"being at peace with yourself and your circumstances"

I think these are all fabulous answers. and it was really cool to really get into the science of happiness. For myself, i've think that happiness is a choice, or perhaps a habitual choice, also perceived as an attitude. My mother is one of the most optimistic person i know. for every lame adolescent problem i came to her with it, i was given an "it'll all work out". And what do you know? it always did.  She believes she gained a positive sense of well-being from her parents-- who were always optimistic, in fact sometimes too optimistic. When she told me that, that i realized that she has been the source of my generally happy outlook on life.  Happiness is perpetuated by those who teach by example.


so mems how i'm best friend shopping in terms of dating? it's funny how what we learn for school always has real life application eh? dating is another one of those things where we can choose to be sad, we can choose to be frustrated, or choose to be optimistic. I can choose to complain and analyze and be discontent with how i'm playing the game or why a boy isn't talking to me, or i can be content with the cards i've been dealt. thats actually where i'm at right now. I'm interested in someone, but instead of strategizing how to make him love me, I'm just going to choose to be content with whatever happens. I can be optimistic and hope that the whole situation goes in the direction i want it to, while simultaneously being content with the very real possibility that it will be nothing more than a new friendship.

Happiness is a fascinating subject, and all too often we don't quite realize how often we can create happiness by choosing to be content.

Labels: , , , ,