Ways to wipe away the tears.

I suspect there are many, many routes to happiness.  Maybe even for people in the depths of despair.  Through a variety of treatments.  But for most people, maybe all it takes is mind manipulation. And a listing of the practical alternatives.  Maybe a half dozen or more. But I know people who insist on only one route. They become obsessed with a single pursuit.  One that’s bound to an unhappy place.  They don’t consider all of their options. Maybe it’s stubbornness. They want happiness only one way. Completely. Fully. And if they can’t have it that way, they would rather risk being unhappy for the rest of their lives. It’s all or nothing.  Which sounds stupid. Sort of like wanting to be a billionaire. And then being unhappy because one has to settle instead for being a mere millionaire.  I see people sobbing away the rest of their lives. Because they’ve come up short of their outlandish goal. Instead, they feel sorry for themselves. And sob and sob and sob.  When really they should be finding ways to wipe away the tears. –Jim Broede