This is an excerpt from Words on Happiness Vol. 1 by Jen Bluekissed:
Walk in the other guy’s shoes. Before you do, sanitize them so you don’t get foot fungus. After you’ve walked a mile in them, give them back, and respect that he might not be willing to walk in yours yet.
Give of yourself. When you die, what you’ve held back will be forgotten, but what you’ve given will be remembered by all those whose lives you’ve touched.
Most people act out of a desire to have their wants and needs met. They do not act out of vengeance or specifically to hurt you. If you are hurt in the process, realize that it’s probably easier for the them to ignore the pain you’re feeling than to deal with their own issues.
When you speak softly and carry a big stick, try not to do so in the house of someone who keeps a loaded pistol near his/her bedside.
When upset, make sure to tell the people you’re talking with afterward whether or not you’re looking to vent your frustration or for them to help you fix your problem. Your friends need guidance for when to listen and when to speak.
Deliver the goods you’ve promised. If you can’t, chocolate always helps to smooth things over.
Keep your sense of awe and wonderment.
Spend time near flowering trees.
Root for the underdog, but don’t necessarily place a bet on them with anything other than Monopoly money.
Hold your friends close, your enemies closer, and your family closest.
Smile, even when you don’t feel like it.
Allow yourself anger, frustration, sadness, despair, envy, bitterness, etc., but schedule a time to end those things so that you can again feel hope.
What isn’t said speaks as loudly as what is said.
Make time to ponder and reflect.
Own a teddy bear to hug when you’re down. People are great for hugs, but teddy bears aren’t ever too tired or too busy for a good squeeze session.
Money is a finite resource. Treat it as such.
Love is not a finite resource. Give some away, and you’ll always get more back, even if it comes from unexpected places.
Forget you’re a grown up sometimes.
Schedule a day every now and again to have no responsibilities.
Allow yourself to cry when crying is necessary. Do decide that you will stop crying after you get it out of your system.
Try not to marry your job. It won’t be there to take care of you when you’re old and start getting dementia.
Deliver bad news with compassion.
Hands are shaped for holding other hands for a reason. Try it sometime.
Be careful whom you trust. Trust is a privilege, not a right.
We are fish in a giant fishbowl. Very few things are secrets if the right people employ the right tactics to know your business. Live life knowing that someone will probably find out.
Jen Bluekissed chooses to see the world in color. She kisses in color too. Her work can also be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
