HAPPINESS IS NOT A PLACE
- IT'S A STATE OF MIND

One of the first nights after we moved, I decided to go for a run. I ran a few miles and then stopped myself in my tracks. I was in awe. The stars were so big and bright. I had been living in Michigan for the past six years and although the state was covered in lush, vibrant greenery and beautiful, serene lakes, it was often overcast. I soon learned that not only did El Paso have 300-and-something days of sunshine, but that the sunsets were also beyond amazing. Dusk was regularly a display of colors that I didn’t previously know existed. The palm trees framed the sky like a scene from a postcard. To me, El Paso sky was beyond amazing.

I have moved several times in my life, but I can’t pick which place was my favorite. I have loved them all for very different reasons. I always say I can be happy anywhere. Often, we think we would be happy if we had this or that. Then we get this or that and find we are still not happy. Sometimes life takes us to places we never thought we would go. Sometimes the reasons we are taken there are not the most ideal and can be a result of trial or struggle. We may end up in places because of circumstances that are out of our control. We don’t always have choices when it comes to circumstances, but we always have choices about what we choose to think and feel about those circumstances. 

If you find yourself thinking that you don’t like where you live, take some time and reflect on your thoughts. Change your thoughts to focus on the good. Search for gratitude. There is something good in every situation. As you learn to identify, control, and change your thoughts, you will soon realize that happiness is not a place, but a state of mind.