Greener Grass

I wish I could feel compelled to right more often just because. Just because I was grateful for any one of the ten thousand reasons that I should be (and am) grateful. But for some reason I only feel my burst of writing energy when something gets under my skin.

So the theme of what's under my skin today is a topic that I've written about a few times already. Why aren't people happier? I often wonder "what if". We all do. What if I had taken that path, studied that subject, accepted that job or married that woman. How would my life be different? Would I be happier? Would the grass be greener? I get it...but reaching middle age and “suddenly” discovering your life has not turned out exactly how you planned it in the 10th grade is about as unenlightening a revelation as realizing rocks fall when you drop them.

We all have regrets, but if I hear one more whiny spouse of either gender announcing that they got a divorce because they were “not happy” or they needed to "follow their bliss", I would like to put them in a crate and ship them to Afghanistan or Haiti so they can learn the true meaning of “not happy.” I'll admit that I'm not a neutral observer on the topic of divorce and my opinions are definitely biased, but I'm sick and tired of the whole “grass is greener” nonsense, particularly when knowing that just about every heifer that ever had its head stuck in a barbed wire fence quickly learns it's the same grass no matter which side you're on. They need to stop wasting their lives in these silly, extended, self-directed, over-produced dramas searching for nirvana, especially when chances are it's been right in front of them the entire time all along. I'm convinced that the pursuit of happiness is the chief cause of unhappiness. Being happy is so much more than merely not being unhappy. It can't be purchased, sold, elected or voted for, but can be found by simply looking at what one has as opposed to what one thinks they are missing.

Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have. It is not something you have to pursue, it's just something you decide. It can be as simple as a cool breeze or a warm bed. The younger we are, the simpler the equation. To a 5-year-old it can be a piece of candy from grandpa, and when I was 11 I remember being dizzy from happiness with a nice smile from a cute girl. (ok...I'll admit that is still pretty effective at 48)

And before anybody thinks they're being singled out by these words, trust me, this is about no one in particular yet a great many in general. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidence!