Ashli's Story

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Ashli
17
Oregon

Everyday I wake up and I make a choice; I choose to be happy. Many would say that happiness cannot be chosen because your emotions may change depending on what lies ahead, and I completely agree. However the uncertainty of the future is exactly why I make this choice.

It is an unusual choice to make, and for most it is not necessary to consciously make this decision. No one can predict what will happen everyday when they wake up, but most people do have a general idea of what they need to do, how long each task will take, and are generally confident that they will succeed in completing all they had intended. At the end of the day, no matter how stressful everything was, most people achieve the satisfaction that comes with having a successful day. That is why it is necessary for me to choose to be happy; so that I will have the same satisfaction.

If I don't make that choice, every single day of my life would be full of disappointment, frustration, anger, and sorrow because the uncertainty I wake up to is not the same as everyone else's. When I wake up I don't know if I will be able to go to school, I don't know if I will get a chance to get that book I need, I don't know if I will be able to follow through with plans I made with friends, I don't know if I will be able to finish my homework, I don't know if I will be able to succeed in anything.

I do not have the luxury of planning, but I do have the luxury of choice. I could choose to live like I'm healthy and be disappointed, frustrated, and angry at myself everyday for not being able to accomplish what others can, or I could choose to be happy with whatever I was able to do that day. I choose to conquer the wrath of uncertainty with unrelenting happiness.