who do you believe?

life is sweet ~ natalie merchant

"they told you life is hard,
it's misery from the start;
it's dull and slow and painful.

i tell you life is sweet,
in spite of the misery,
there's so much more;
be grateful."

i wander through the day and most of what i hear is the din and echoes of misfortune, misery and negativity. people seem so unhappy, so downtrodden, and often so ugly in their reactions to each other (especially when it comes to cruelty and gossip). it seems to be so much easier to be unhappy, to answer with a scowl, and to have the perspective that life sucks, and that is just the way it goes.

there are days, of course there are, where we wake up feeling less than ourselves. when we are hurting or sad, ill, or just in a blue funk. but there are good days, too; days when we wake up with that ethereal glow about us, when we have a bit of a music in our movements, and a backbeat to our steps. this happens, it does, i have seen it in everyone i know.

i don't know, i suppose i just long for a little bit of happiness sometimes. there is a lot to be grateful for, in all of our lives, if we just look close enough.