Happiness

I love photos. No matter how bad or good you look, I love them. They can capture a moment, before it’s gone in an instant. I love memories. I think memories remind us that we’re human, with a habit of keeping the things that make us happy in our heads. So I decided to create this collage of things that make me happy. I mean, who doesn’t like to display things that make them laugh or smile? I don’t think I have ever met a person like that, nor do I ever want to. But, I digress.

I created this collage at the back of my door about three years ago. In my old home, I had the same thing but it was on a wall in my room.  You see, when you step into my room, it’s like you entered a portion of Paris and you immediately think “Why is this room so pink?” Actually, I wanted the walls of my room to be blue but my mother had other plans. She decided that if I wanted my room to have a Paris theme, the walls had to be pink. But the color of the walls is this weird remake of Beptobismal. Oh, and the pink color is divided up by lines that make it more Paris-y. On the left side of my room, there’s this huge poster of the Eiffel Tower that’s framed, and it sits above my bed. On the wall that holds the window, my bookcase had also made it’s home there. And on the right side of my room, is my wide dresser and the door that carries the things that make me happy on it’s surface.

Now that I have given you a tour of my room, sorry that I did so forcefully, I will give you a complete story of each beautiful picture on my door. All the way at the top, is this huge poster of One Direction. And if you don’t like One Direction, then I feel sorry for you. Anyway, beside my One Direction poster, are photos of Anne Hathaway in her photoshoot for Glamour magazine, the cast of Pretty Little Liars, my favorite artist Taylor Swift, Emma Stone when she went to the Met Gala two years ago, and this Starbucks holder that I stole when I bought my Caramel Frappacino. In the middle section of my collage there are photos of Adele at the Grammy’s, yet another photo of Taylor Swift, the hilarious Jennifer Lawrence at the premier of The Hunger Games, my concert ticket when I went to go see Taylor Swift for my fourteenth birthday, the Jonas Brothers at a photoshoot, and a fortune cookie that says “Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.” In the next section of this collage sits photos of Zac Efron filming a movie, my favorite Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, another photo of Taylor Swift, the fabulous Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfriend at the premiere of Les Miserables, and my absolute favorite actresses of all time, Meryl Steep and Octavia Spencer. There are also a couple of fortune cookies that I taped in various places. One says “Smile! A smile will make you young forever.” and another one says “There will be many surprises: unexpected gains are likely.” I also have movie tickets that I saved, like 21 and Over, Beautiful Creatures, Avengers, the Hunger Games, and Pitch Perfect. At the bottom of my collage, there are photos of AnnaSophia Robb playing Carrie Bradshaw in the Carrie Diaries, a review of the Hunger Games movie, another picture of Taylor Swift, a poster of Nick Jonas, lyrics from songs that I love, and a funny moment between Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone at the Golden Globes when Octavia won for The Help. 

In case you’re wondering, I obviously didn’t take any of these pictures because that would consider to be stalking. And that’s just plain weird. I have cut out each and every single photo from magazines and spent hours taping them on the door. But I loved every single minute of it because it made me happy to do something that would make me smile every time I would come across it. I think that thought goes into the steps that makes happiness. Step 1: Smile, Step 2: Do something that makes you happy, and Step 3: love.

For me, there are may things that make me happy. Writing makes me happy. Reading makes me happy. Movies make me happy. My family makes me happy. My friends make me happy. Play volleyball makes me happy. God makes me happy. Love makes me happy. Mostly everything makes me happy, except for sadistic things that try to bring you down. Oh, that should be Step 4. Step 4:Don’t let things bring you down.

So, the gist of this post is to be happy. If playing sports makes you happy, then I better see you in some field or on the court. If playing an instrument makes you happy, then keep rocking out. If writing makes you happy, then I better see your novel in the New York Times Bestselling Author list. Basically, do or be anything that makes you happy. And if you do then you have a shot at a silverlining.

Did you get that line from the movie, Silver Lining’s Playbook? If not, then I’m really disappointed at you right now.

Love, Karla