Happiness feels better.

There are inevitable ups and downs in life. Most can't be predicted, some can. But everyday is a new chance to choose your happiness. I know, how cliche... choosing your own happiness. Hey, they are cliches for a reason right?

Yesterday I made it back to gym after about 3 weeks of spotty attendance due to an 800+ mile move and the subsequent unpacking of boxes, cleaning out of crap, and arranging of rooms. I love going to the gym. I feel strong when I am there, empowered when I leave, and borderline slammin' the rest of the time because I know I am emitting that healthy "I exercise regularly" glow.

Getting back there left me feeling totally pumped. On drives home from the gym, I have a tendency of basking in an exercise-enduced endorphine rush. Life seems grand on those drives. The trees reflect stunningly vibrant greens and sparkling flecks of sunlight dance like pixies from one emerald leaf to the next, the air is sweet and soft on my skin as it whirls in through open car windows, the music on the radio is just the song I want to hear, and instead of cursing under my breath at the 16 year old boy who races by me in a pimped out honda only to cut me off and slam on his brakes when the light we (all the experienced drivers on the road) knew was going to turn red, does in fact turn red, I put up a prayer, "keep him safe, and bless his life today". And who says miracles don't happen?

Last night's drive was extra appreciable. The stars aligned in just the right way, at just the right time to reveal a universal truth to me. It feels better being happy. I suddenly realized how much time I waste feeling sorry for myself. Maybe by focusing on how this hurt me or that hurt me, I turned myself into a victim. And who wants to be a victim? Being a victim means I have no control over my own fate, no ability to overcome struggles and shortcoming, living in a perpetual state of "poor me" Instead of wallowing over the few hurdles I have faced in life, why not celebrate the jump over them, and all the times life has smiled on me? Why not spend that time appreciating all the great things I have experienced?

So I did. I spent the rest of the night embracing my great mood. I invited my sister over, joked with my dad, indulged in a Coldstone icecream, walked around my new (I can hardly believe I live here because it is so cool) neighborhood, read a few pages of a good book, showered- because going to bed with a fresh soapy smell is one of my favorite things, and slept like the dead.

A pretty good day, I'd say.