Sometimes it takes a friend to give us back our own wisdom and allow us to see it. My friend Mark, with whom I only have the most fleeting contact most of the time but who is nevertheless still one of my closest friends, wrote this email to me earlier today.
I saw your blog and decided to send a note. I know we all have down times. You probably have had some in Korea, but I have been impressed at how much you have enjoyed the entire experience, and how worldly you are compared to me. I think bad times are a natural part of life. And then something happens and it turns around. I certainly believe in the ability of people to just decide to be happy. I've done that. But the time has to be right. I guess people need to wallow in their sadness for a while first or something.
…
Take these words as your inspiration, you may recognize them:
I have made the realization that happiness is not a mental state. It is not something that is given to you, or that you find, or that you can lose, or that can be taken from you. Happiness is something that you do. And like most things that you do, it is volitional. You can choose to do happiness, or not. You have complete freedom with respect to the matter.
Hope you have a great day, and know that we love you.
He quotes the thing I wrote some years ago and had sitting here at the left side of this here blog thingy.
What I'm listening to right now.
The Arch, "Let It Beat Us."
[daily log: walking, 6 km]