Ok, it’s a catchy tune.
Right now I am singing this silly song that gets stuck in my head every time I hear it. Let’s all sing it together:
“Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do”
Darn it, Pharrell Williams, you just had to make it so darn catchy! But really, we have talked about some pretty heavy stuff here at Transfiguring Adoption, and I thought we might need a little break from the seriousness. Even our friend, Harry Potter had some fun and happiness between his battles against the evil Voldermort!
So what is happiness to you?
Personally, I like to sing my favorite songs at the top of my lungs, I love to dance (even if I am terribly uncoordinated), I love to read a good book, and I tell some of the worst jokes known to man. Stop me if you’ve heard this one:
“What did one math book say to the other math book? You’re FULL of problems!”
It’s a funny joke, and it’s true. We are all FULL of problems! Its very easy to get caught up with the “what if’s” and “keeping up with the Jones’s” because that is what we are shown every day. There are times when I get jealous of other people because I think they had a better chance in life than me because they have never known what it is like to hurt like I do.
So now, I will tell you the truth: EVERYBODY feels like this! There is not a single person who looks at what others have and wish they had that (or better!). Even Ron (who has never known the pain of losing his parents, or the type of treatment Harry got at the Dursley’s) feels a bit of jealousy towards his good friend, Harry. He wants that spotlight, and to be a famous Quiddich player.
Have you ever heard the expression “The grass is always greener on the other side”? Well, that grass is just as hard to mow, my friends. Often times, we are so busy looking at what other people have and do, that we forget what it took for them to get to where they are. We only look at the grass and not the whole lawn. It takes hard work to be happy! There is an alternative ending to that saying, as well. Sometimes that grass is greener on the other side because it is fertilized with (and this is censored for the kiddos) manure. So many people are so unhappy with their lives and circumstances, that they lie about their positions and abilities just to impress others. Unfortunately, we don’t know if other people are mowing or fertilizing, so the best advice I can give: don’t worry about what others have or say they have. Work hard on your own lawn. Find what makes you happy (within reason) and do it!
Go ahead, if it makes you feel free, dance like nobody’s watching. Tell that goofy joke! Sing that crazy song! Find your happy place! It’s OK to feel down and jealous sometimes, but don’t stay that way. If you want to be happy, you have to BE happy!
Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever felt jealous of someone? Why?
- What do you think you need to do to make your grass greener?
- What are some things that you do that make you happy?
- Close your eyes. Thinks of the most beautiful place you can think of. This is your happy place. Concentrate on everything that is there. What is the weather like, what do you smell, what do you hear, etc…? Concentrate on going to your happy place often.
- What do you think the benefits of having your happy place and doing your happy things are?
Song lyrics by Pharrell Williams
