“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

For some reason this quote is really hitting home for me. So often in life we cry over a lot of missed opportunities whether it is a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one. There is so much in life that occurs that breaks our hearts and breaks us down. It is a wonder many of us don’t simply crumble to the ground from despair (and many actually do). Why does it always hurt so much? We look back on things and always feel a pang of pain and grief for some odd reason. But while there is pain there is also many things that we should be happy about and memories that we should cherish as happiness rather than pain.

Why is it that we harbor so much pain regardless of what causes it? We have such a hard time finding happiness and things that will make us smile. I asked a friend a question regarding this the other day; I asked him “doesn’t being with your friends and doing things you love make you happy?” His response was “No, it’s a distraction.” How many of us have that same thought? Things we do are just a distraction to get us through the day so we don’t think about the pain we feel. What if we look at a happy memory and smile rather than think of a painful one and cry? What if we refuse to allow a negative image hit our minds but rather focus on the happy ones? Why are we so driven by negativity?

Dr Seuss said it perfectly smile and be happy things happen. Why can’t we find happiness in the smallest things in life so that the hardships are easier to handle? Even in the toughest of struggles there is something to smile about, but for some reason we can never see it. We are blind to happiness even though we are forever searching for it. We cry when we should be smiling. Is it even possible to turn that thought around and smile at all times?