“Happiness will happen when you least expect it.”
These words are certainly not new to me. Especially as of late. I’ve been blessed with wonderful girlfriends who are willing to listen when I need someone to talk with, a shoulder to cry on or a sounding board when I feel like life has just thrown too much at me at once.
I recently had an amazing conversation with one of these wonderful women in my life and it really stuck — something that I thought was worth sharing. For anyone who hasn’t read previous posts, here’s a really quick and dirty rundown of what’s been happening lately. I moved (again) to a new city, solo this time. I started a new job (a brand new position with this company, which is the topic for a forthcoming blog post) and started dating again. None of this is bad news, per say, and for that I can say that I’m truly thankful. Still, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel entirely overwhelmed from time to time. Enter: fabulous friends to the rescue… and back to my point. I had recently been sharing stories of bad dates, work frustrations and just overall “whoa is me” frustration when my friend abruptly cut me off and told me to stop talking. While I don’t remember the EXACT words that came out of her mouth, she said something along the lines of:
“You’re trying too hard. You need to learn to just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. It’s not always easy and it’s going to be bumpy, but that’s part of life and you just need to relax and roll with it. Happiness really will find you when you least expect it.”
I’m sure that’s not the first time someone has said something like this to me — and it may not even be the last. This time, it’s stuck and I have continued to think about how the rest of our conversation unfolded that evening. She was exactly right. I’m wasting time and energy over-thinking, stressing and holding on to frustrations about things that I may or may not be able to change. I was so busy focusing on the things that seemed to be wrong with life that I had forgotten to look at what was good.
I moved not because I had to, but because I wanted to — and I was thankful for my family, friends and others who helped make it possible. THEY make me happy. And I was thankful for that job that sometimes causes me frustration but allowed me to move back to the city that I have fallen in love with (it only took three years and two separate stints living here). I’ve found tremendous happiness and comfort in new, and sometimes very unexpected friends. Maybe I haven’t found a love to share this ever-evolving life with as of yet, but that’s OK. Dating is frustrating, and scary and often a little awkward, but it’s also pretty cool and exciting and full of happiness, if you just give it a shot.
So for now, here’s to learning to relax and just roll with it. And to trusting that happiness will truly find me (and you) when we least expect it. There’s a lot of good… a lot of love and a lot of happiness right in front of you, if you only take the time to open your eyes and your heart to it.
Life & Love 