“An Al-Anon meeting is a great place to observe how various people react to their circumstances. Those who have the most to be grateful for often grumble and complain. Others, living desperate and even tragic lives, somehow keep cheerful and manage to get some joy out of what little they do have.” (ODAT, 9 July)
Happiness is entirely down to my attitude. I have to first make the decision for happiness, then ask God, “Show me how to be entirely happy and entirely at peace in this situation.”
That might come in the form of one of these thoughts:
I am spirit only. I am not a body. I happen to be visiting here.
Everything works itself out one way or another.
All endings are happy—in the end.
God will give me the direction and strength to be entirely cheerful in the face of whatever happens.
To everything that has been, ‘Thank you!’ To everything that shall be, ‘Yes!’