I Am My Sunshine

 by: Patsy Goins

"You Are My Sunshine

My Only Sunshine You Make Me

Happy When Skies Are Gray"

(I remember this song from my childhood)

"You Never Know ,Dear,

How Much I Love You Please,

Don't Take My Sunshine Away"

And, doesn't that insinuate someone or something makes you happy? So, from a young age, we were fed the ideas it took something outside ourselves to see sunshine and be happy. We didn't just receive that message from one song. Ever heard someone state, "He/She makes me so happy!" Were we ever misled! I can't remember when exactly I began to realize this was bogus. I was always told I was rebellious, too!

When I started to realize it wasn't something or somebody that made me happy and sunny, I, also, began to realize I could control how I thought, good/positive or bad/negative thought. Good thoughts make us feel good.

Keeping our thoughts positive can be difficult to say the least. You have so much negative input dealing with every day life. Then when the skies turn gray it gets more difficult.

How many times have you heard someone comment "it is so depressing" on a cloudy/stormy day? Here comes that old negative thought process - So, what do you do when you have those gray, cloudy days?

First you have to realize and convince yourself that you have control! That does mean of your thoughts. Ok, so obviously we can't just look out the window at the beautiful sunny skies in order to lift the gray mood. One of the things that lifts my mood is to light a fire in the fireplace. Now, it's not always cool enough here when the skies get gray. Soooo

Do you have a particular music that when you listen, it just makes you feel good? What music triggers that happy feeling? Try listening to that type music or a favorite motivational speaker when you are having one of those down, gray days. Have you ever heard of "self talk" - How about an affirmation especially for those kind of days. Reading is a good way to get positive input, and I recommend this method to most folks I know.

If your mood is only caused by weather, you can't change mother nature, but you can change your way of thinking. When I reflect on the many seasons and weather conditions, each of them plays a part in the balance of things. I have learned to accept all acts of nature, and change the way they affect my thinking.

In the old days on a rainy day, I used to "whine"....you know, "It's raining, I can't do _______! It's so yucky!" Today on a rainy day, I'm very thankful all the plants are being watered and our lake where we get our drinking water is being refilled, grab my umbrella and go do what I have to do.

I chose to change the way I think about things and so can you. How you think is YOUR choice!

Changing your thought process isn't easy, but it can be changed if you want to change it. I, also, might add it takes a bit of work until you make the change, but then you've got it! So make yourself happy and sunny unless you like being gray and gloomy.