The Long and Short of It

"Happiness is not in our circumstance but in ourselves. It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are." ~John B. Sheerin

I recently read a blog where person being interviewed was asked what was the one thing she knew about happiness now that she didn't know when she was 18 (I've also blogged about this question myself). She said that one thing she realized was that life was long.

At first, I thought I read it wrong. We hear all the time, and in fact I frequently blog about the fact that life is short. Her statement is exactly the opposite.

She went on to explain that when she turned 30, she was rushing around all the time and stressing out about getting everything done because life was so short. She accomplished a crazy number of things in a short period of time. She says that what she learned from this is that life is long, and you don't have to do everything all at once. She and I have completely different philosophies about life....she says long, I say short (she says tomato, I say....) And because of that, our approach to being happy is also completely opposite. It makes her life happier to think about how long life is and to slow down. It makes my life happier to realize how short life is and to do what I want to do now while I have the opportunity to do it. My bucket list is a source of happiness for me....but having one would likely just stress her out.

I wonder if our experiences are what form our opposite beliefs. Part of the reason for my "life is short" mantra is because I've seen lives end, and be cut far, far too short many times. I've lost friends who were only teenagers, and friends who were just starting families, and friends who just graduated from college, and people who had just retired and should have had their golden years ahead of them. I've seen life be short with my own two eyes, and I think that has greatly impacted my view on this topic.

I don't think there is a right or a wrong answer to this question. I think that we all have to figure out the best perspective for us. We all need to find the approach to living life that makes us the happiest and makes us fulfilled. Whether we think life is short or long or in the middle---it's our life and we better be doing our best to make the best of it.