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Dare I say that I would consider myself to be happy?? I dared it! I went there.

I always hesitate to state that I am happy because inevitably, something will happen and I regress back to an emotional whirlwind, my own not so poetic equivalent of Scylla and Charybdis. I'm determined to some day get to an even keel, not happy, but full of joy. It will happen. I refuse to let it be otherwise.

Life is good, other than a few minor struggles. Despite my perfectionistic tendencies, I find myself very grateful to be where I am. I have wonderful friends, fabulous and sweet pups, a work environment I don't deserve, a fairly good relationship with my family, although, as with all things, it could use improvement, and a myriad of other opportunities and gifts that I am given merely because I am privileged enough to live where I do. I feel like I'm at a good place in terms of my confidence in my own personality.

I haven't done the Days of Thanks this year, not because I don't feel it, but because I'm so busy feeling thankful that I don't feel the need to blast it out to everyone else. (In no way am I commenting about others' motives or sincerity. I can only speak for myself.)

As always, I am on a self-prescribed path of improvement in various areas, but if I looked back in 5 or 10 years, I would not feel disappointed with my life as-is today. I am thankful for the people that have made an impact on my life, even the ones that helped to screw up my life. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't change anything in my past(Who really thinks THAT??), but I do appreciate the ebb and flow of various influences.

I don't know that I have any one person or thing that has had the biggest influence. Obviously, parents are a big deal, but I think all 4 parents (5, if you include step-family) have had a large impact on who I am. Various friends, some more than others, have also changed my life, some for the better, others for the worse. Work hasn't been too much of a game-changer since you tend to be a warm body instead of a person that the employers care about(present employer excluded). Celebrities haven't really impacted my life on a grand, long-lasting scale.

I think every musical soloist needs to perform in a choir or band with whatever their instrument is. Even the most talented singer that can sing perfectly on their own can struggle when they have to consider other voices around them. Maintaining "perfect pitch"–which I do not have–is difficult when you have voices singing at different tempos and pitches and even if they do sing correctly, it throws YOU off because you haven't sung with them before so it's a brand new song, although you've most likely sung it hundreds of times.

One reason I like to use paper maps instead of GPS is because GPS shows you where you are at that specific moment only and how long/far it is to your destination. A paper map shows you where you are in relation to the rest of the world. It gives more of a sense of the collective and less of a "Me, me, me" mentality.

It's so simple and easy to be the nicest, most accomplished, most intelligent, most patient, most trustworthy and trusting person...

...as long as I don't interact with anyone else.

We need relationships with people in order to better ourselves IN relationships with people. Even when we live alone or in a selfish way, that does impact others around us. Sure, I could be a hermit and live alone and do everything online and never interact with another living soul, but how is that even really living??
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Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between

Do you hear me?

Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right

You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom, down to the minimum
Otherwise pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say
Say when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between