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i am happiest when

6.25.2012

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confession; i am constantly getting wrapped up in the illusion that life has to go the way i want it to, and if it doesn't, i just won't be happy. truth; i'm pretty good at thinking up scenarios of life. IMG_0060 IMG_0024
tomorrow morning my hair will be fly-away free, my skin flawless, and the next twelve hours will go according to schedule. no need to wing anything when i've got it planned out. what could go wrong, afterall. i will be focused and controlled and happy.
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in a year or two i'll be sitting cross-legged on the grass in the shade of an oak, on the campus of some high end college. my eyes lost in the contents of a heavy textbook, my hands scribbling down notes on paper for tomorrow's quiz. i'll study every spare second and stay devoted to my education. i will be succesful and dedicated and happy.
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someday i will be married to the love of my life. the two of us will live in a darling little house, with a labrador sitting on the porch, flowers planted in the front yard. someday we'll have children. our family will get along like peaches and cream. i will be in love and blissfully complete and happy. IMG_9851
i think half the time, its the expectations and pictures in my head of how things should be that mess it up. i have to face it though, i don't always get what i want. but why complex the entire idea of happiness, when really its not hard to understand. instead of dwindling on these perfect sketches of life, why not embrace the picture i'm painted in? happiness isn't derived from one thing, but from a million little things. if i'm not careful, i could miss out on them. a sleepy goodmorning, an unexpected kiss, a familiar melody, tears on a face that have finally dried, the last rays of light in a firey sunset, being together. 
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today i wake, open my eyes, and fill my lungs with fresh air. there is no telling what will happen before the sun goes down. make the most of every moment given to me. i can embrace and i can love and i am happy.

when are you happiest?

10 comments:

  1. I love this. it's so true and wonderfully said. I've been struggling lately about what I want to do with my life...I feel like I have to have a plan perfectly mapped out, you know? it scares me not to know what's going to happen next and I make up perfect scenarios that usually only end in disappointment. I'm most happiest, though, when I let all the scenarios slip away and stop over-thinking everything and focus on now. thank you for the thought provoking words, love! ♥

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  2. ps I'm really really loving that first photo. so gorgeous!

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  3. amen. I am happiest living a simple life (fully, bravely, authentically) with people I love.

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  4. I have so many pictures in my head that I've painted of ideal happiness...but more and more I've been realizing that it's all the unexpected things that add up to trump the expectations. loved this! xx.

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  5. what a beautiful post! i love how you laid it out.

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  6. First of all, stellar new blog layout Madison :)

    And I've said it before, and I'll probably say it a thousand more times, you are wise beyond your years. I'm not that much old than you, but I feel like I'm still learning the lesson and trying to remember that having joy doesn't mean having a "perfect life" (whatever that means...) but it does call for trust in God and a positive outlook that finds happiness in the small things.

    Just from your blog I can tell you have an incredible personality and a resilient spirit that you'll go far. College then family life is right around the corner...and it seems like you're ready for the ups and downs. It all make life rich, and good and worth while!! Anyway...I'm rambling... Thanks for the thought-prevoking post Madison. :) and the LOVELY pictures, as always!

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  7. i love this post. relatable, beautifully written, reminder, thought provoking, gorgeous photos... this blog is the whole package. :)

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  8. Hi! I am Emma! I love your blog... I hope you will check out mine. http://emmavogelsang.blogspot.com/


    Em

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  9. i love that first photo! agreeing with carlotta, hannah, and emma.

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