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Sometimes a frown is not a smile turned upside down

I can’t stand those who claim that their lives are perfect, they couldn’t be happier, and everything is just peachy.

I hate people who walk around with a perma-grin on their face.

I can’t stand those who claim that their lives are perfect, they couldn’t be happier, and everything is just peachy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against happiness as an ideal or general idea, in fact I also strive for this emotional state in my life.

It’s just that I don’t believe that anyone can truly claim that there is no sorrow, pain, or even frustration in their lives. When people do claim this, I generally don’t trust them.

Life is full of ups and downs, and that’s what makes us human. These experiences are lessons life throws at us to test our character and make us grow, mature, and gain perspective.

If we deny these experiences, we are not only denying the lessons they teach us, but we are also burying our feelings around them, feelings that can surface later as anger, resentment, or perhaps even ill health.

I think there should be a difference made here between the persuit of happiness in general life; focussing on the positive and not the negative to bring about positive results in life, and the focus on being happy because one does not want to acknowledge the pain and suffering they have gone through; escaping these emotions.

I believe that if we do not face our pain, it will stay hidden within our psyche and ferment and build up pressure that will eventually seek release.

So when I’m having a bad day, or I’m experiencing trauma of whatever kind in my life, I don’t try very hard to fight it. If I’m in a bad mood, you will probably be able to tell. And I count on family members and friends to be there for me to vent to, to act as a sounding board, and to help me shift what I am feeling and learn whatever lesson it is I am needing to learn.

In this way I hope that I am truly processing my pain and sorrow, and not hiding it away for it to rear its ugly head at a later date.

With the cooler weather threatening to come on and our days becoming shorter, I hope that we all take the time to give ourselves and others space to be real about who we are and what we are feeling.

— editor@lakecowichangazette.com