Les Miserables Chickens

Hello, dear reader. First off I want to wish you all a very happy Friday and apologize if I don't seem my wonderful self in this post. There's been a lot going on and I'm a bit exhausted from all of it. All I really want to do is find myself one of those cute, secluded cottages surrounded by flowers and live there for a while. Away from all the noise, pressure and responsibility.

Now I understand everyone is running the fast-paced marathon that is life and we're all in the same boat, so what makes my issue so special? Why should you, dear reader, read on about the troubles of my life?

Well, that is a very valid question and I have two answers.

One: you are my solace, dear reader.

Two: I am generally a happy person. My smiles are effortless and my laugh is contagious (I'm a delight!) and the recent stress got me thinking about the concept of happiness.

How is a person suppose to find happiness with the craziness that is life? It's literally one thing after another. On the staircase of life you have to constantly keep climbing in an effort to keep up with the rest of the world and, frankly, that is exhausting. If you stop and pause then you are in danger of being trampled or being left behind and so you continue to climb and climb until you are no more.

So, when do you get the time to appreciate your efforts and celebrate your achievements? Okay, let's forget all that. Let's question a more fundamental conundrum: when do you have the time to feel happy? To feel relaxed? To stop and enjoy your life?

In the fast pace of life we are subjected to capture our moments in cameras and videos and posting them on social media to prove to the world that we are indeed happy! And I am battling that for myself.

Have we tied our happiness to a certain someone or a certain achievement or a certain goal that, without it, we will be petty, miserable ogres?

And so I question myself, and my choices: have I tied my happiness to the amount of popularity that my blog receives or how many followers I have gained on instagram/twitter (@Sheezams and isheeza - sorry I had to! Shameless promotion has been ingrained in me through marketing seminars) or whether or not do I finally become a published author?!

To be honest with you, dear reader, at some point yes. I did start to become happy when only those events would occur, but when I noticed that pattern I stopped. I began looking for everyday excuses to make me happy, for example, the summer breeze. If you just stand there for 5 seconds, close your eyes, and breathe in the summer air, you will be transported to another world. Do it, before summer melts into winter.

I urge you to look around in your life and find excuses to be happy. Defy the rules of the world and society, be the rebel, and stop climbing those steps. Sit down on them and look around to appreciate the view that surrounds you and maybe, just maybe, extend your hand to the one below you.

Aladdin said it best, dear reader, "It's a whole new world with a fantastic point of view."

Because from where I'm sitting, it is indeed a fantastic point of view!