See, I'm a pretty happy camper. I'm sure some of you out there have seen the gloomy Gus side of me, but truth be told, you know I'm one of the more chipper people you know. And if you don't know me, well... 1) I'm a happy person, 2) thank you for reading my blog, 3) I'm sorry if my blog came up in your search for something completely different, but please read on, and 4) you are about to be given the secret to happiness, so aren't you lucky. People have asked me how I could be so upbeat. To this, I have answered many different ways. Sometimes I shrug and give a goofy smile, other times I'll proclaim, "Life is good!". If I'm feeling a little snarky, I may throw out, "It's a chemical imbalance!" and add a couple of jazz hands.
These are all pretty generic responses. Do I actually know why I am happy more often than not? Do I know why some other people are less happy? No. Of course, there are uncontrollable forces at work. Brain chemistry is a strange thing that affects everyones moods in different ways and I have lead an incredibly fortunate life. So yes, I do believe that those two things are probably key players in what make me "me". Also, there is that whole concept of "choosing to be happy". Is that like choosing to be awesome? Because I choose you, Pikachu!
Oop, sorry. My nerd got all over the place. But I can kind of hop on board with the "choosing" to be happy. Now, this only works when brain chemistry is NOT in play. DISCLAIMER: all the things I am about to say have absolutely no bearing on people with depression. Please do not go up to your friends and be all, "Hey, this Fritsch person is happy, you should be to!" It doesn't work that way. I am merely throwing out there some of my thoughts, my fleeting fancies, on the concept of happiness, so... yeah. I'm not going to apologize for what is said here, but I'm also not going to tolerate it being taken out of context.
Speaking of apologizing, don't apologize for being happy. I think that's one of the most important things I've learned through my short life. Allow yourself to be happy. Allow others to be happy for you. Don't hold your happiness over others, but share it. THERE IS ENOUGH HAPPINESS FOR EVERYONE. I promise.
Ich. I don't like the way this post is going. It sounds like I'm giving you all advice. Telling you what to do. That is not what this was supposed to be at all. I'm trying to sum up why I'm a happy person, or those little events in my life that make me who I am today, as far as being in a good mood. Well, this post was actually inspired by a movie. A movie that is not The Wizard of Oz, or any of the Harry Potters or Star Wars. It's not even a sports movie. It's a movie called Heart and Souls, which came out in 1993. I didn't see it in the theatre, but rather in my Grandpa's living room. He had cable. So, let's say it was the mid-90's, which puts me at mid-elementary school. I only saw it once, but it made a huge impact on me. Or at least one part did. This:
I remembered the general premise of the movie, but what really stuck with me was Thomas (Robert Downy, Jr.) and the rest walking down the street singing that song. And I held on to that feeling. I wasn't even sure what the movie was for many a year, but I did eventually find out the title. That's what it's like inside my head. That one scene. I would sing that song and dance that dance all over the place, as though I had those four invisible friends around me. That's happiness. Happiness is singing in the bathroom or doing something good for someone else. It's the little things.
And remembering things that make me happy. Maybe that's it. I have a truly amazing memory, and though I can remember the bad things, I hold on to the good things. Literally and figuratively. Did you know I have a book of happiness? I keep little things that make me smile in there. Can you remember the best days of your life? Can you remember swinging on the swing set and singing at the top of your lungs? If you had to conjure a patronus, what would you remember?
Also, I was kind of a morbid child, or at least I had some very morbid fascinations. I loved reading about the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Holocaust, factory fires, plagues. But then the funny pages every morning in the paper. It kept things in perspective. My life was never going to be as bad as the ones I read about, so why not be happy? Of course there is a time to be sad, but that's not what this post is about. This post is about dancing around to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
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