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I believe we have the power to create our own happiness. I believe the realmagic in the world is done by humans. I believe normal life is extraordinary.
I was sitting in my car at a stoplight intersection listening to the radio. I was, Iguess, lost in the moment, thinking how happy I was to be inside my nice warm car.It was cold and windy outside, and I thought, "Life is good."
Now, this was a long light. As I waited, 1 noticed two people huddled togetherat the bus stop. To my eyes, they looked uncomfortable; they looked cold and theylooked poor. Their coats looked like they came from a thrift store. They weren'twearing stuff from the Gap. I knew it because I'd been there.
The couple seemed to be doing their best to keep warm. They were huddledtogether, and I thought to myself, "Oh, those poor people in that punishing wind."
But then I saw their faces. Yes, they were huddling, but they were also laughing.They looked to be sharing a good joke, and suddenly, instead of pitying them, lenvied them. I thought, "Huh. what's so funny?" They didn't notice the wind. Theyweren't worried about their clothes. They weren't looking at my car thinking, "Iwish I had that."
You know when a single moment feels likc an hour? Well, in that moment, Irealized I had assumed this couple needed my pity, but they didn't. I assumed thingswere all bad for them, but they weren't. And I understood we all have the power tomake moments of happiness happen.
Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around theworld, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up withs me. But I felt this wayeven when I was working at Long John Silver's. I worked there for 11 years as a frycook9. When you work at a place that long, you see teenagers coming in on their firstdates; then they're married; then they're bringing in their kids. You witness wholesections of people's lives.
In the beginning, it seemed like a dead-end job. But at least I had a job. Andfrankly, it was easy. After two weeks, I knew all I needed to know, and it freed mymind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become.
The first year I worked there, we got robbed. I lay on the floor. I thought I wasgoing to die. I didn't think I stood a chance. But everything turned out all right. Alot of people look at life as a series of miserable tasks, but after that, I didn't.
I believe this is something all of us can do: try to be happy within the contextof the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or aconvergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we canhelp ourselves. This I believe.
I was sitting in my car at a stoplight intersection listening to the radio. I was, Iguess, lost in the moment, thinking how happy I was to be inside my nice warm car.It was cold and windy outside, and I thought, "Life is good."
Now, this was a long light. As I waited, 1 noticed two people huddled togetherat the bus stop. To my eyes, they looked uncomfortable; they looked cold and theylooked poor. Their coats looked like they came from a thrift store. They weren'twearing stuff from the Gap. I knew it because I'd been there.
The couple seemed to be doing their best to keep warm. They were huddledtogether, and I thought to myself, "Oh, those poor people in that punishing wind."
But then I saw their faces. Yes, they were huddling, but they were also laughing.They looked to be sharing a good joke, and suddenly, instead of pitying them, lenvied them. I thought, "Huh. what's so funny?" They didn't notice the wind. Theyweren't worried about their clothes. They weren't looking at my car thinking, "Iwish I had that."
You know when a single moment feels likc an hour? Well, in that moment, Irealized I had assumed this couple needed my pity, but they didn't. I assumed thingswere all bad for them, but they weren't. And I understood we all have the power tomake moments of happiness happen.
Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around theworld, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up withs me. But I felt this wayeven when I was working at Long John Silver's. I worked there for 11 years as a frycook9. When you work at a place that long, you see teenagers coming in on their firstdates; then they're married; then they're bringing in their kids. You witness wholesections of people's lives.
In the beginning, it seemed like a dead-end job. But at least I had a job. Andfrankly, it was easy. After two weeks, I knew all I needed to know, and it freed mymind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become.
The first year I worked there, we got robbed. I lay on the floor. I thought I wasgoing to die. I didn't think I stood a chance. But everything turned out all right. Alot of people look at life as a series of miserable tasks, but after that, I didn't.
I believe this is something all of us can do: try to be happy within the contextof the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or aconvergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we canhelp ourselves. This I believe.