This is a really good question.

Life is a mixture. It has its ups and downs. And sometimes the downs are so down they can really rip you apart. Also, it seems like some folks have it easy compared to most of us, and some folks are born into a life of hell. In other word, it rains in every life, but some people live in Seattle.

Because the rough spots do come, you have to appreciate the times of lull, even if they are boring. Boring is good. Boring means there is no drama. Boring means you can relax and smell the roses.

There are so many good things in life, many of them small and taken for granted. Often they are not appreciated until they are taken away. I try to foster an "attitude of gratitude." Each morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is listen to the birds singing outside. Whether it is sunny or cloudy, they sing. To me their songs mean it is a new day filled with hope. I periodically journal, listing all the good things in my life, including the small little things, like that I have a bathroom with a flush toilet. Imagine the hundreds of thousands of years where human beings had to go outside, or simply dumped it out the window! I have clean water to drink. I don't have to pick food out of the trash. Yes, the simple things to be thankful for. Home, family, friends...

Let's talk about happiness. I began listening to Dennis Prager a couple of decades ago, and my favorite segment was the happiness hour. When I first started listening, I was suffering from a major depression. I'm not saying it cured me -- major depression is a biological illness. But it played a part. To a large degree, happiness is a choice. Happiness is not something that is dependent on the circumstances in our lives. It is something we make inside ourselves. We can be happy DESPITE the bad things that occur.

To all that is good, and true, and beautiful...