Smile Like You Mean It

Look, here's the thing: Life is good.

Nothing is ever as bad as we think it is, but thinking it is can bring everything else down too.

There are always options to every situation. If something isn't the way you like it, change it. Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in certain situations. Stuck in school, stuck in band, stuck with people I don't like. But then I remember that if I wanted to, I could drop everything and do something else. I could move to Hawaii and just chill. In fact, that would probably be cheaper than going to law school. The point is that I'm in these situations because I want to be, even if I don't feel that way every moment I'm in them.

I'm living my life the way I choose to live it.

It occurred to me that I don't appreciate the good things nearly as much as I dwell on the bad things. I don't tell enough people how much I love them and I don't take the time to just stop and appreciate where I live and what I do. One day these people and these places might not be my reality anymore, and I want them to know that they've been such an important part of my life, and seeing as I only get one life, that means a lot.

There are so many things I enjoy. Here are just a few that make me especially happy:

My boyfriend

My mellophone

sleeping

coca-cola

TV and Hulu

laughing

new toiletries

And yes, maybe the list of all the things bothering me right now is longer, but it won't be forever. That list is temporary, while the list of things I enjoy is ever growing.

Stress is situation specific. People come and go, unless you ask them to stay. Moments are plenty. And laughing will always be the best medicine.

So, smile like you mean it.