I Choose Happy

I got a doozy of a comment on this blog yesterday morning. I went back and forth about whether I should even mention/record this little happening. Cause I don't like to feed ugly things or dwell on them. But I haven't been dwelling on this, and it didn't even bother me cause I know who I am. It did cause me a brief pause and I google searched a bit for the name of the commenting offender... and in the end I looked at him with a bit of confusion and pity, much like Harry Potter does to Voldemort in the 7th movie,

...or like how people will look upon Lucifer at the last day (Isaiah 14:12-19, particularly verse 16). But, I guess I've decided I will share it a little, cause here I am typing it up. ...But Corey gave me good advice, to keep it ambiguous, so that if there is a happy someday in the future where this person wants to change for the better, they don't have to worry about coming over here to clean things up (hence, just went to the comment and removed it "forever").

So, here's what happened. Yesterday I enjoyed my quiet hour after carpool and before elementary school send off and exercised, and then came to the computer to log it. And as I sat at the computer and looked at my email, I saw I had three comments to this blog, all from the same person and on the same post... an individual I do not know on an old post back when we were living in Costa Rica in 2010 - (quick background context to this post that was commented on ... Corey had just left for Chile that morning, I was on my own for 2 weeks in Central America with 7 kids, and 5 year old Wesley fell and cut his lip pretty bad. ~ I ended up deciding to wait until morning and not to go to the hospital that was an hour away through the jungle with all the kids in tow because it was late, they were all in bed, I didn't have a cell phone, etc etc, it was quite the stressful event for me. Plus Wes had fallen asleep as I tried to formulate a plan of attack. Anyway, so I didn't take him anywhere and just prayed for it to heal on it's own, and the comment I just got on the post, since we're here 4 years later, was basically a very colorful way of saying I messed up. (Is that ambiguous enough). I'll get specific here (Corey tell me if you think this should go too...) but he/she added that they hoped they could eat my brains. So yeah, wow! I called Corey to tell him, cause I had to tell someone the rude things that had been aimed at me (not to dwell on it though! I was just making small talk)

His reaction was the same as mine "wow." followed a few minutes later by "People are really brave and direct when they're anonymous." and then we turned away and carried on our happy and busy way striving to best serve our family and neighbors and left this person to live whatever life it is they've chosen for themselves.

I also found it interesting, cause I'd just read on Stephanie Nielsen's blog about her receiveing rude comments (at the end of that post) ~ I loved these thoughts she shared:

...I am learning everyday that haters are gonna hate no matter what I say, what I type, what photos I take, and choices I make. But listen up!  I am confident in who I am as an adored daughter of a loving God.  He directs my life and if I am smart, I will listen and obey. I recognize that we all make bad choices, and I certainly have. But, I am not ashamed of who I am and my roll as a mother, woman and wife. I am not ashamed of my Mormon faith and it's beliefs.
~ I ask (God) for an increased amount of love- especially for the people who attack me and my family on social media. I am sad for them because I know they are not happy. And I know that I am happy, and no matter what they say, they can never ever change that. 

It honestly didn't bother me, cause I know me. I know I'm trying to be a good person and a good mother. I love and feel so blessed to be a stay at home mom and homemaker. I'm married to my best friend who is awesome in every way, and life is pretty much wonderful! I love living my life. "I am happy!" And happy people will keep on being happy while haters gonna hate, I guess. I don't know why anyone would want to be a pain-body though. It just seems so... so... painful. Here's to hoping that more "anonymous people" on the internet pause and come to themselves and start to choose happiness, politeness, and nice-ness! It's actually a very good and happy place to be. Here's a little diagram with tips for anyone just getting started with being happy, and if anyone is not interested in being happy, well there's tips for that too:

I also read this post from Matt Walsh and I enjoyed his first rule for humans before we go foraging through Google:

1. The internet is not an alternate dimension where the laws of morality, ethics, and basic human decency are magically suspended.

The internet is what happens when you go on your computer to find information, or to communicate, or to view a video of a three-toed sloth crossing the street in Costa Rica. At no point in this process do you forfeit your humanity. You are a human being doing things on the internet, and those things often impact, to some extent, other human beings. So whatever you do or say on the internet, it’s just like you’ve done it or said it in real life. Why? Well, because this is real life. This is not a dream. It is not a fantasy. This is real, I am real, you are real, everything that happens here is real.

So, have a happy day here on planet earth with your real life. It's the only mortal life you've got, so make it a good one!!!

(and for some reason I found that video of the sloth somewhat disturbing and equally hilarious - he goes stiff as a board and I could almost hear him cheer out "I can fly!!")