News from the Edge

December 2016 Front-line News

Happiness – A Choice or a Result?

“Donia Linda, I am very happy!  Don’t worry!”

“I work at Hand and Hammers, I help clean the church, I go to English classes. I have spoken to the youth group telling them all about ASOSAP. I want to be a good ambassador for ASOSAP and for my people back in Guatemala. I want to do all I can to get them more support.”

Sebastian chattered and bubbled away on the phone to me, just “snap, crackle, and popping” with joy and well-being. I had phoned him from our home in Canada to speak to him in Texas where he had been living for the past 2 months. I was worried that he was perhaps struggling.

Was he missing his country, culture, home, family? Was he lamenting the decision to go to the States for 3 months? Was he missing his tortillas?!

Sebastian Suram is the Coordinator of Construction for ASOSAP and the husband of Glenda, the Administrator of ASOSAP, AND the father of Juanita, his 6-year-old daughter. At work, he is typically a behind-the-scenes, hands-on guy. Now in the States he was front and center. My concern was, “How is he coping?”

After that phone call, my worries and concern evaporated.  After that phone call, I took stock of MY life.

Sebastian had obviously CHOSEN to be happy and do the best he could with his current Lot in Life.

I was reminded of a motto that a friend of ours has at the end of every email: Happiness is a Choice not a Result (a very good thought, Janine!) Sebastian is putting these words into action and I admire him greatly for this.

Then I reflected on my current Lot in Life. It’s very WINTER here in Canada – Cold! Snow! Darkness! I can’t go out for a walk without spending 10 minutes putting clothes and boots and mitts and hat on, oh, and the crampons on the bottom of my boots so I don’t slip on the ice and snow. I am not bubbling and rejoicing. I am grudgingly putting up with it all.

So, Sebastian, I must thank you for giving me a good attitude shake-up. I have started to “smarten up” and be HAPPY, to CHOOSE to enjoy and embrace each day and each circumstance. I admit, it’s a work in progress, but it is paying off and it is worth it.

So back to the beginning. My question to each of you is, “In your life right now, are you CHOOSING to be HAPPY or waiting for things to change to your liking so that HAPPINESS can descend on you as a RESULT?

Merry Christmas!

 

Leave a Reply