Once again, I have a song in my head and an article to be written. Please listen to “Happy Talk” and then read on. I hope you enjoy this rendition of Happy Talk by Ella Fitzgerald.
You have a very simple choice, be happy or not. Yep, it’s up to you. Nothing or no one can make you happy if you don’t choose to be happy. Unfortunately, others can make you unhappy if you choose to allow them to do so. Let me explain.
Every time you open the above hyperlink, you are going to see an ad. Did you watch the ad or did you hit the skip button? If you choose to watch the ad, you probably have chosen to be unhappy. The ads are provocative and disturbing.
My patients are frightened, anxious, depressed, broken hearted, lonely, etc. The economy is collapsing, people are losing their jobs, worried about paying bills, worried about food shortages, social unrest, etc. I can go on and on.
How today’s worries affect you and your loved one’s hinges on one simple decision. Am I going to be happy or not? I know it’s hard to believe, but you can choose to be happy. Yes, you have to deal with what’s going on in your life, but how you deal with it decides how it affects you.
Do you have a dream? The song’s lyrics, “You gotta have a dream, if you don’t have a dream, How you gonna have a dream come true?” asks a pivotal question. So, do you have a dream?
When I was young, my friends and I had dreams. Dreams of happiness have guided me through life. My dreams have changed with age; but, at each step, they have guided me. At first, my dreams were about things, BMWs, girls, vacations, girls, mansions, and girls. I think you get the gist.
Along came Renee and my dreams morphed into marriage, family, my medical practice, vacations, time with my buddies, etc. As those dreams were realized and my age advanced, I dreamed of my kids’ successes, grandchildren, vacations, friends, etc.
Then came Parkinson’s. I stopped dreaming. Dreams became nightmares. Then the nightmare of a pandemic became reality. Dreaming became impossible. Without dreams, life became joyless and depressing. My former patients call daily. They are in the same place as I am.
So, what changed? Yesterday, a dear friend sat by the pool with me (9 feet apart) and we talked about world events, the nightmare of Covid, cabin fever and more. That’s when he said, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend the rest of my life scared and depressed. You have two choices in life: you can choose to be happy or not. I choose to be happy!”
He’s a wise man! I choose to be happy as well. Awakening with “Happy Talk” on my mind is the beginning. Now to start dreaming good dreams: dreams of playing with my wife, children and grandchildren will drown out the dreams of Parkinson’s and Armageddon. Dreams of sunny Carolina days, road trips to Atlanta and Virginia will fuel my happiness and keep me alive.
Do you have a dream? If not, find one. Choose to be happy.
Enjoy some music:
https://youtu.be/QaH7Mdt5DkQ https://youtu.be/vuKt7USFPSo
Like you I have accepted my Parkinson’s but I always dream about the future, the kids, grandkids , my mom who will be 98 in December ( she still lives alone in an apartment) and of course lovely Lillian who is the rock in our house. I choose to be happy
Glad to hear you are doing good. Keep it up.