So where did this all begin? I picked up a book I started some years ago titled The Happiness Project. While reading, something struck me; I do a lot of waiting, especially this year. In 2012, I will hit the big 30 and get married: two rather significant times in one's life. While reflecting on my own life and happiness, I noticed how much of my life lately is waiting on a singular event. While in some regards this is understandable, I also became aware of how often I think in terms of when x happens I'll feel (fill in the blank).
Additionally, I recently had the 2 year anniversary of what I dubbed "The 3 S's." You see in 2010 I almost died. I ended up suffering 3 strokes, underwent emergency brain surgery and had 3 stents placed in my brain. One might expect that I wished this never happened, but for me, it is quite the opposite. When I think back, the months following my surgery were some of the happiest I had been in a long time. Why? What seems to be at the core is-I was so thankful to be alive that I wasn't taking the daily things for granted. I was closer to my family, my now fiancé and my true friends. I lived life differently. Life was precious and of value for me. While even still today I carry fear and doubt that it all could happen again, I would never reverse it. The event changed me. Afterwards, I saw life through a different lens and while it’s come out of focus as the hustle and bustle of my daily routines returned, I want to regain that clear picture of what is most important and reclaim the respect and value I felt for my life at that time. Appreciate all the small things and live each day and in each moment, not waiting for the next milestone. I realized that the majority of our lives are defined by 'everything else' and what lives in between those so called major life events. Those moments are just a snapshot in time. And while they represent a culmination of work, if I don't take joy in the journey, my moments of satisfaction will be few and far between. How I choose to respond to life will define my own happiness.
