A friend gave me a card the other day with a “suggestion” on the cover. It simply stated: “Happiness must be grown in one’s own garden“.
Sometimes the view I have of myself IS someone with a green thumb. Other times . . . not so much. Actually, I did just get awarded the “Yard Of The Month” from my neighborhood!! Pretty cool to walk outside and see it everyday. But do I get credit for growing my garden if all I did was pay for the yardman and offer suggestions as to what to plant?
At best, a good collaboration, . . . and a checkbook.
I’m pretty sure the card my friend gave me was more about my emotional garden. Post divorce, it was a vast emotional wasteland. There was nothing growing there; the soil was devoid of all nutrients. There were many cloudy days with no sun shining. The only thing fertile was my imagination on what destruction I would like to rain down upon the ex and his “pocket of posies!”
Slowly, bit by bit, the heart healed, the mind settled and the promise of new growth emerged. I take my happiness very seriously, and I also look at it as a full time quest.
Happiness can be as simple as a chocolate frozen yogurt with peanut butter cup, or the June birth of my second grand baby. It can be a ride on a good horse on a beautiful cool fall day, or receiving a “how are you” text in the morning from a long time friend you haven’t seen in years. It can be the way you feel when you walk out after a great movie, or re-watching the DVR’d game where your football team beat someone they weren’t supposed to. (Yes I re-watched, to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating the first time!)
Happiness doesn’t just happen, you nurture it in your heart and your soul. Take responsibility for it. Plant the seed, let it germinate, fertilize it with positive thoughts and nurture it by surrounding yourself with happy people. If you wait around for someone else to take up the task to make you happy? You will be sorely disappointed.
So like the TV commercial for Home Depot says: “Let’s Do This!”
suddenlysinglewomen 
Thank you!!! It’s been a summer of change for me, and I feel real happiness bubbling up inside for the first time in a long time. Look out world – she’s BAAAAAACKKK!!
I love this post. Very encouraging and made me feel good