How are you?

How happy are you? I mean, really? When someone says "how are you?" are you lying when you say, "good"? I once had a wonderful woman, Jenny Kokai, ask me if I really was okay as she was first encountering the Utah-happy-mask. She didn't believe me because I wasn't. How many times do we pretend we are happy when our acquaintances, friends, even close family ask us how we are? 

I'll tell you what, I have been the most unhappy I have ever been as of late. I've been trying to answer the "how are you" question truthfully, but it usually comes out a lie. I don't know where this incessant need to appear cheerful, put together and perfect all the time comes from, but I think it needs to stop. When we ignore the question and reply with a lie, we are not allowing that person to help us. We fall further into loneliness (let's face it, that's what it ends up being) because we aren't willing to open up. We need to let people in, reach out when we need help, and let the love shine in. 

It may seem like I am expecting others to fix my sadness when I say that, but that's not the point. Maybe that's why people do it. They feel like they are burdening others with their problems. Some may feel that way, but I don't. I love when people share their sorrows with me. It makes me feel useful as a friend. I don't usually give great advice or try to fix it, but I love to be an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on. 

In my attempts to be happier, I have started #100happydays. For those who don't know, you post a picture on social media every day for 100 days that depicts something that made you happy that day. This was Day One:

Erik likes to say that you must recognize that something is wrong before you can fix it. I think confessing that you aren't okay instead of lying is a step in the direction of happiness. 

Feel free to join!