Happiness - because that's what we all want?

Life is hard. That's no secret. We all know it and feel it. We each experience things that we think may break us - or do break us. Life is messy. Life isn't always a Disney fairy tale though we may wish it were. How we deal with it is another thing. Some decide to be happy and just move forward while pushing the non-happy feelings under the rug. Others try to embrace it or find a healthy balance in talking about it. I often struggle with how much I share and how it's perceived. Am I just complaining too much? Can I have a better attitude and just learn to be "Ok"?

I never really seem to come into my own on what that is exactly. I go back and forth on how much to share. I never like to come across as complaining, but if I don't open up about my world, I feel as though I'm being disingenuous. But it's hard when those in my world want to only focus on happy stuff.

I came across a quote the other day by Nanea Hoffman which says, "Maybe you thought you were broken because that's how it felt. But I want to remind you that wholeness can include pain. And fear and sadness and flaws and frailty. You are complete. You are light and shadow. That is beautiful."

I think that's what I needed to hear. Wholeness - not happiness is what's important despite the cultural hyperfocus on it. We are a myriad of feelings and experiences and reducing them all down to happiness does a disservice to each of us as a person. Light and shadow and everything in between makes us human. It makes us who we are.

There is something more noble about acknowledging that light and shadow exist. Something that requires an aspect of bravery to delve into the shadow. Finding a bravery to go beyond the light, embrace the shadow and journey into wholeness.