I'm writing this from a place of concern. Concern that an older sister would have for her younger sister. Concern from an older cousin, mentor or dear friend. I'm writing this in my morning "come to Jesus" meeting voice. I'm writing it with a firm unapologetic tone. The tone that you need to hear to get it. The tone you need for it to stick to your ribs like Sunday's dinner did. The only tone I truly know how to say this in.
You want happiness, you have to go get it. You have to figure out where to pick it up from, and head to that place - with your vaseline and fight music. You have to prepare yourself to snatch it up and keep it. Because it'll never fall in your lap and it'll never just come to you. You have to decide that happiness is what you want, and work every single day to maintain it. You have to choose happiness over sadness, over contentment and over comfortability. You have to make it your first choice and settle for nothing less than it. Because it's not easy to attain, and it's certainly not easy to keep. If it were, I'd hear fewer I've-truly-never-been-happys and many more I've-truly-never-been-this-happys.
Happiness is a battle. A constant fight. A war. There will be people fighting against you getting it, harder than you're fighting to find it. They'll be influences who pride themselves on snatching it from right under your nose. People, circumstances and things, that are ready to abolish whatever plans you had at getting it. Because they don't want you to have it, and part of you is ready to give up trying.
Happiness isn't just a walk through a field of dandelions; it's noticing the bees and being ready to attack the first one that comes to attack you. It's sitting with your guns loaded ready to knock down whatever is trying to prevent it from flourishing in your life. It's tackling every negative that attempts to stand in the way of your path to happiness. It's knowing you have to fight for it, and acknowledging that its worth the fight.
Life will hit you. It will hurt you. And at that moment, happiness may feel like the furthest thing from reality. You fell and fumbled your happiness. You gave up the search because the punch life hit you with knocked the breath out of you. You dropped your happy and ran the other way. You weren't ready to fight for it. You didn't even know you had to.
But you do. You have to work hard to maintain it because life can be cruel, and the people in it can be crueler. You have to make the decision to work at it each day. You must decide to focus on getting happy and maintaining it. You must decide to fight for it.
Getting to happy isn't just a walk through the field. It's not a dip in passionate work and loving relationships. It's a constant journey; a chase. It's not going to fall in your lap. It's not going to show up on your door step and it's not going to appear in your next meal. You have to find out where it lies and GPS your way to it. You have to fight through the flames to find it. And once you do, you must keep a tight grip to maintain it. You must block out those trying to snatch it from you with their drama and gossip. You must erase the envy of those around you who try to go under your arms to take it.
Your pursuit of happiness is a right, but happiness itself is a privilege. One you have to work for. One that comes from great bounds and with great leaps. You deserve it as much as you believe you do, but you have to go for it. You have to fight for it.
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