Doin’ The Happy

Maybe not “doin’” lately. Attempting.

I’ve written several posts about being happy and what it takes to choose this state. This particular post is about tests. Life tests. And how that impacts one’s happiness.

My husband Gary has been going through some trying times; in short, he just left a terrible working environment for greener pastures. It’s been, to say the least, a stressful time. And although I don’t pretend for a minute to have gone through anything close to what he endured, I suffered right along with him. There is something very horrible about watching a loved one in pain.

My happy quotient took a nose dive. Nothing seemed as bright or shiny. Nonetheless, Gary and I still managed to do things we enjoyed and we didn’t let it affect our relationship.

It did, unfortunately, severely affect my writing. I know there are many who write best during sad or angst-filled moments. I am not one of those. I need peace, a beautiful space, and happiness in order to create. I did write a bit, but my heart was elsewhere.

But…if writing is my career you Just Do It no matter what. Easier said than done if your career is based in artistic expression. What I decided to do to move myself forward in housekeeping. I researched new markets. I did some individual marketing. And I at least contemplated my new book and made some decisions about that. As the expression goes, life happens. If you are a writer, you have to develop solutions that keep you in the game no matter what the universe throws at you.

The good thing is all your experiences, both good and bad, can be fodder for stories. Maybe I will never use this exact event, but the pain I saw my husband go through I will never forget, and will translate, I hope, into authenticity the next sorrowful scene I write.

Being able to connect with humanity is what writing is all about. In this case “connecting” was very painful. But I came out the other side stronger than ever. And hope, strength, and optimism are things I always put into my stories.