Happiness During Rush Hour

I would have to say that this morning felt more rushed than usual. The kids wanted to play rather than get ready for the day and I preferred to just enjoy a warm cup of coffee while sitting at the table instead of sipping it quickly in the car while dropping my daughter off at school. Not only were we all a bit slower this morning, but it is gloomy and rainy outside. I'd have to say this is not a great combination to keep us going.




But as I was driving on the freeway to downtown and of course hitting rush hour, I remembered it was Veteran's Day. A day to remember all those currently and in the past who have served our country, who laid down their lives and the multiple sacrifices these men, women and their families suffered. I want to thank all our vets! Here is a new music video just released by Mary Beth Anthony, "The Soldier's Wife".





While driving through the rain I realized that I needed to slow down and take a deep breath. Just because it was raining did not give me any excuse for being crabby and lazy, instead I needed to motivate myself, just like any challenge in life. The difficult times, those times of suffering are the ones which pay off more in the end than the good times. Yes, we all need to laugh and laugh a lot, but what lessons would we learn in life if we never had any trials. The purpose of these trials is to not only learn from them, but to learn how to deal with them. This seems to be the hardest part, accepting the suffering for what it is but also dealing with it in an appropriate way. Instead of lashing out on others, or blaming them for our misfortunes, it is time that we put on a smile. The whole does not need to know that we are sad, depressed, angry, upset, ill and in need of sympathy. Instead of using our social media outlets and friends as a way to relay our feelings, maybe it's best to keep somethings within the privacy of our families and even ourselves.

So rush hour brought me to the conclusion that happiness doesn't stem from having it your own way, but dealing with what life throws at you with a smile and an accepting attitude, because ultimately we rarely can change the hardships presented before us. All in all, we can only take those moments to grow internally and externally and be a better person for it!

Also, wishing Katrina a Happy Birthday!