In my life I’ve found you have to do things to get happiness. I can’t tell you what they are. You should try a lot of things. You should try even if there’s a million pounds of weight on your chest from self doubt or guilt or fear or loneliness.

Find something you can appreciate about everything you have to do. I really like washing dishes by hand for the moment you get that last bit of grit off the pan. I like breaking down cardboard boxes because it reminds me of my childhood working for my dad. I like a nice night on the porch where you don’t need a sweater but it’s not too hot either. I like a cold beer.

Understand you can’t have anything without the opposite. You’re gonna feel down. I feel down, everyone does. Some people feel a lot more down than others. But if you’re gonna wake up anyway, might as well try to find a way to make the best of things. We don’t get to be movie stars, but we can be stars in the eyes of others.

I get so much out of just helping people a little bit. If you don’t feel like you’re worth anything, find a way to help people. You’ll see how important you can be when you visit that person who doesn’t have anyone in their lives, or listen to the coworker going through a difficult time. Even just saying hi to people can make you feel a little better.

Maybe you read this and think “oh here we go again”. I get it. What if your thoughts aren’t trustworthy though? Maybe acknowledging your broken brain makes you sad but then believing it when it says nothing will work is kind of a crazy contradiction that will tear you apart if you let it.

I’ve been happy a lot, I’ve been sad a lot. I expect it will continue to be this way. This has been dad’s rambling response to something that’s supposed to be a joke, thanks for tuning in.