Regardless of your Financial Situation Don’t Forget to be Happy!

My sister asked me the other day why I sounded like such a “Debbie Downer” all the time when I spoke to her on the phone. I apologized and told her I just have a lot on my mind. Later in the day she sent me an e mail with the “Dance Like Nobody Is Watching” Poem. I know it’s nothing new, and that most people have already read it, but when I read her e mail I cried. Not necessarily tears of sadness, but tears because the poem is so very true.

I wrote a post a while back titled Remembering To Live , and even though I wrote those words I find them hard to follow. Reading this is a good reminder to enjoy life no matter what. I love the part that says “happiness is a journey not a destination”. So true! So take a moment and read this poem. If i’s the first time you are reading the full thing then I hope you enjoy it. If you’ve read it before, I recommend reading it again. Maybe it will have new meaning to you.

Dance Like Nobody Is Watching

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Alfred D Souza said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time … and remember that time waits for no one…

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy…

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought for the day :
Work like you don’t need money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
And dance like no one’s watching.

Author: Crystal Boyd , 1998. From the book: “Midnight Muse.”
© Crystal Boyd (Visit Crystal Boyd website)
Please note that the Thought for the day is not part of Crystal’s poem, but from an old Irish Proverb

This is a guest post from The Wife.  She writes on her own, very different but much better blog, After the Alter.  Check out her site, follow her on twitter @AftertheAlter and subscribe to her feed - you’ll notice right away she is a much nicer person than me!