“I think I just met the happiest person in the world”, she shouted.

It was a world where happiness was hard to find. People were locked down and quarantined due to a pandemic that had seized the world for the last year. Many lived in fear of the pandemic, not knowing what was the truth about it and what wasn’t.

People were also in distress over the isolation from friends and family. Some under duress trying to make ends meet because they had lost their jobs.

You may ask how can someone be so happy through all of this. You will be more amazed to learn the trials and tragedy this person has faced and yet is one if the happiest people you will know.

She suffered some difficult times in her life. She was rarely shown love from her parents. Her siblings were always preferred over her. Her family made fun of her hearing impairment and mocked her contagious laugh. She was frequently put down by the people that should have loved her the most.

Fast forward to married life. She was married to a very self centered man. He did everything for his comfort and never for anyone else. If he could make a buck off of his own parents or daughter he did.

During her marriage she suffered the loss of a pregnancy. Her husband was glad because he did nit want children. She suffered the loss of her home and pets to a house fire. She only had the clothes on her back. She suffered her husband loosing jobs constantly over the years. She worked 4 jobs at times for two years while he did nothing.

He was paranoid and delusional all of their married life. He suffered severe depression but chose not to take his medication or be honest with his doctors. He made life very difficult for those living with him. He attempted suicide as an attention seeking act. He said he liked being depressed because everyone catered to him and made his life much easier for him. He never took responsibility for his actions. Always blamed them on someone else. He lied about her to her closest friends and family. Because he cried when he told them they all believed him and never asked for her side of the story.

This led to being removed from the congregation that she belonged to all of her life. Because if this she lost every single friend she had. Her parents and siblings cut her out of their lives having nothing to do with her.

Within weeks of this happening she lost her job despite how valuable she was. Why, you ask? Because she was a whistleblower that exposed illegal acts performed by the business manager.

She then out of desperation accepted a job that didn’t even begin to pay for her living expenses, but she loved what she did. She worked with some nice people, but also worked with some who did everything they could to discredit her and give her a bad name, all out if jealousy.

She endured a failed romantic life, full of men that just wanted to use her and fluff their own egos. Men that became angry when she said no! As though she were crazy for refusing them.

Through it all she experienced visits to the ER with no support from family. Sitting their alone with no one to comfort her.

The final blow was her own daughter cutting ties with her with no explanation as to why. That was one of the most painful things she experienced.

Through all of this she always had a smile on her face and had that contagious laugh that everyone loved. People saw her coming and would say “good morning Sunshine”.

You wonder how? What made her so happy?

She always said it was a choice. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable. Life is what you make it.

The difference for her was focusing on the good that came out of the bad. Focusing on the lesson she could learn from the trials.

She gained many wonderful, quality friends. She had a reputation of being happy and easy to be around. She was well liked everywhere she went. She was an example to others going through difficult times. For every friend and family member she lost she gained so much more in place of it.

Yes, she was the happiest person on earth!

It used to be said that a smile could earn you points. Fast forward to today and now a smile will loose you points. In fact, it could get you a hefty fine or worse. You don’t want to know about “worse”.

Smiling was outlawed the year I turned 10 years old. It was a confusing time. I didn’t understand why you could be happy but couldn’t show it on your face.

Every day at school we had to recite the rule of law #97531, “A great law was passed in 1975. The law calls for the absence of smiles and high-fives. No person living in the sector governed by FROWN is permitted to display happiness in any manner or form. Anyone in violation of law #97531 will be required to pay fines imposed by the courts of FROWN. In the case of multiple offenses, will result in the removal of a tooth or teeth.”

We lived in fear of being caught with a smile or smirk on our face. I would have nightmares of having a mouth full of empty spaces where my teeth once stood. If you had any or all of your teeth removed you wouldn’t want to smile out of embarrassment and humiliation anyway.

My parents constantly reminded us to never smile or high-five. They couldn’t afford for any of us to be fined, as we were struggling now to pay for all of our expenses.

Some families were fined $10,000 just for a slight up-turn of their mouth. Even babies that smiled were fined! At least they didn’t have any teeth yet to be removed.

I was terrified that I would accidentally smile that when I was 12 years old, one day I taped my mouth in place. That didn’t last long because I couldn’t talk or eat without removing the tape.

I would hide under my covers at night smiling and silently laughing about things that were funny during the day or that made me feel happy. My sister realized what I was doing and scared me by lying and saying that FROWN had devices that could measure the happiness factor in the area and could track it to anyone violating law #97531. When she told me this I lived in fear of the authorities knocking on the door and removing all my teeth. After a few weeks of suffering in fear my sister admitted she lied. For the first time in weeks I could finally relax and not jump every time someone knocked on our door or when I would see the officers of FROWN walking down the road.

I asked grandma once why they made such an awful law. She explained that so many people were living in difficult times and didn’t have much to smile about. When someone had good things happen to them and they would smile or laugh it was considered poor manners to behave in such a way when others suffered so much. Smiling created a lot of jealousy and anger from those not smiling. Protest marches were organized to prohibit displaying forms of happiness. There were riots in the streets, clashes of extreme violence in certain areas. This is when FROWN passed law #97531. They suppressed smiling and high-fives in honor of those suffering and had no reason to smile and be happy.

I still smile and high-five in my head. No one can take that away. Sometimes you have to find your happiness and display it on the inside where it means the most anyway.

Deep deep in the dark forest, Laid a beautiful fawn in peaceful rest.

The sunlight barely seen, Sent slivers of light beams.

The leaves on the trees rustled in the breeze, Slowly to the ground floated a few leaves.

If you listen closely you can hear a babbling brook, Where no fisherman has ever cast his hook.

It is a safe place for all wildlife to reside, No worries of man and having to hide.

The forest floor so lush with moss so green, Where a small creature may lay and dream.

You hear the soft sounds of a bird in flight, Or hear an owl hoot softly into the night.

A place to be treasured by all living things, May it be enjoyed for all the beauty it brings.