If You Want To View Paradise, Simply Look Around And View It

Sometimes your day doesn't go at all the way you thought it would. I woke up this morning feeling wonderful, full of energy and ready to take the world by storm. The sun is finally out again, and while it’s still hot out, it’s not nearly as humid as it has been. It’s that satisfying kind of summer heat that I love so dearly. I wish I could be outside enjoying it. I couldn’t possibly be any less productive right now if I tried. I’m just sitting here at my desk staring out the window, wishing I hadn’t guzzled down so much coffee this morning. The overdose of caffeine has put me in the strangest of moods. I’m so overly focused that I’m not focused at all. It’s ADD to the extreme.

Needless to say, my day ceased being wonderful a few minutes after I stepped into the office. I think it’s a mistake to judge a day when it’s only just begun. It’s as though I hold expectations for it that it can never fulfill, and so I become punished by my anticipations, my dreams for greatness. I really know how to let myself down.

What I need to learn how to do is to control my emotions. Studies show that the majority of teens and “twenty-somethings” use music to alternate their moods. I think that’s true. I certainly do. I have a myriad of mixes on my Ipod to do just that. The work out mix, the rainy day mix, the bedtime mix, the good morning mix, I use them when I feel or certain way, but also when I would like to feel a certain way. The trouble is, I am a singer-songwriter fan at heart, and I’d say 90% of my music is therefore depressing. Everything I love to read is depressing because I’m enthralled by that darkly beautiful art. Every movie I love to watch is depressing because there’s something so poetic and pure about movies that reach a certain truth within you. I tend to fill my life with depression.

It’s therefore up to me to transform my mood, and really, it’s not nearly as difficult as I tend to make it out to be. Just sitting here watching the leaves flutter in the soft summer breeze makes me inexplicably happy. Knowing that in a few hours I’ll be able to go outside and play brings me joy. Writing about my feelings and being able to share them with anyone and everyone who reads this promotes a smile on my face. Then of course, there’s the bigger picture, which is often the best way to be happy about life. I am so blessed. The saddest things about my existence are confined to music, books and movies. The greatest things about my existence are my relationships, my interests, and my relentless love for the world around me. I have a beautiful life. I have a million reasons to be grateful, and a million more reasons to be happy, so that’s what I intend to be.

I write a lot about that search for something more in life, and I stand by everything I’ve said, but perhaps in my quest for more I’ve forgotten about the here and now. I’ve forgotten the trick to seeing beauty in the smallest details around me. It’s everywhere you know. Beauty is everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and look, take a deep breath, and let it fill every inch of your being. From there, the possibilities are endless. From there, genuine happiness begins to grow. From there, paradise is created, and all you have to do is simply look around and view it.