Happy Happy Joy Joy

Are you happy? What is 'happy' exactly? Some days I feel just so numb that it may be happiness at the fact that I'm not falling apart on the floor or melting into a corner in my room. . . . or maybe it's just lack of sadness. It's really hard to pinpoint. I think the word has a different meaning for different people but overall the same idea. I just don't know what idea it is for me sometimes. Is a healthy family, good job, not being bankrupt yet a reason to be happy? - Well, yeah but is it enough to sustain what happiness is??

It appears that many other people don't get or experience the idea of happiness either. According to some stats on anti-depressant usage, Americans have doubled our usage of the 'happy' pill since 1996 with women being twice as likely to utilize anti-depressant meds. . . . WOW! http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/interesting-statistics-and-facts-about-anti-depressant-use-in-the-us.html. Even more shocking is the fact that according to this website's stats, as many as 4% of preschoolers are considered to be clinically depressed and on some form of anti-depressants!!! Are you kidding me?!?!

Now I don't know about you, but that last statistic is not only shocking but it also angers me in a way! Are we really that depressed, anxious, 'unhappy' or are we just overdependent on the 'happy' pill to make anything difficult go away? Are we shoving these meds down our kids throat vs. really finding out what the problem is? Maybe the problem is US - the parents? But I guess we'd never think about that would we? It can't be the parents who give their kids all the money, clothes, game systems, cell phones, laptops, Iphones, etc. because they give those things to their kids because they 'love' them! :-P

Look, I may not have all the answers (and don't claim to for that matter) but one thing I do know is that my happiness doesn't come from me or even those around me. It comes from my faith that no matter what happens to me in the day - good/bad - God will give me the tools/guidance I need to handle it. It may not be easy, and I know some people truly do benefit from anti-depressant meds, but for me I want to take a different route. I don't want to numb myself to the not-so-happy days. I want to experience it head on. . . . even if it means I fail. That's what I'm here on this earth for - TO EXPERIENCE LIFE! . . . . . And I challenge you to do the same. ;-)