Be Happy

The preparation for a new school year is always a busy time. To remain sane I keep the faith and the humor in most things. It sometimes isn’t easy in this day and age to find the bright side (even a laugh) in situations, but I can’t help myself. I’ve always been that way. A couple of recent experiences come to mind.
When I was in Bethel August 4th – 6th for the District Wide In-service there were several hundred educators roaming around. I was impressed with the organization of the event and pleasantly surprised at the learning that took place. Then the fog set in.
It wasn’t a problem at the moment because we still had another day of inservice, but we also know that the fog can stick around for a few days. There wasn’t anything we could do about it so we went about our business.
However, I never really thought about how hectic it could be at the bush airlines on days with heavy fog and they are unable to get a plane in the air. That is until my wife told me a short conversation they had with a person at one of the airlines. Apparently the person had been receiving a lot of phone calls that morning and was a bit stressed out.
My wife had called from Texas to make reservations to fly from Bethel Eek on August 17th after she would arrive from Anchorage. I don’t know if she knew it was foggy or not in Bethel, but she soon found out. When she called the person on the other end picked up the phone and didn’t say “Hello” or “Hi” or “----Air.” He just said, “We are waiting for the fog to lift.” That was it. The guy probably didn’t see any humor in it, but we did.
Then last week while my day was hectic from the pre-school opening demands I got a call from a local resident in Eek. It was the first time I had talked to him since I’ve been back. What he said after I answered just made my day – and I told him so afterwards. He said, “How is my white brother from another mother?” There was nothing odd about that coming from him. It might have offended some people, but hey – I am white, I do have another mother, and we are “brothers” in the friend sense.
After I stopped laughing we talked of how our summer went and then we got down to the business he had on his mind. I still think it was funny and probably always will when I reflect on it.
Happy people are what makes the world go around. Remember that life is what you make of it. Problems do arise, but it is how you react to them that can make the difference. Some people may think you are crazy and laugh when you shouldn’t, but in my book I like see the bright side of things and see humor in the unexpected. I’ll continue to do so.
Give humor a chance in your daily life and try to be happy no matter the situation. I bet you will feel better.