Choosing Joy Like Munnsy.

Today’s Cookie is about choosing happiness and finding joy even in the midst of life's inevitable challenges.

Happiness is fundamentally a choice. Every day, we encounter countless moments where we can decide how to react and what mindset to adopt. By choosing to focus on the positive, seeking joy in small things, and actively engaging in activities that bring us pleasure, we can create our own happiness. It's about gently taking control of our mental and emotional state. We have the power to shift our perspective and embrace a positive outlook.

However, life isn't always within our control, and some situations are inherently unhappy. Loss, illness, and unforeseen hardships can strike, leaving us feeling helpless and sorrowful. In these moments, the choice to be happy feels distant, and the pain and struggle are undeniable. It's important to acknowledge these feelings and understand that it's okay to not be okay sometimes. Allowing ourselves to feel and express our true emotions is a vital part of healing and coping.

Reconciling the choice of happiness with unavoidably unhappy situations requires a balance of acceptance and resilience. While we can choose happiness, we must also allow ourselves to fully experience and process negative emotions when they arise. Happiness doesn’t mean an absolute absence of sadness or hardship; it means finding moments of joy and peace even amidst the challenges. By giving ourselves grace and compassion, we can navigate through those tough times, knowing that they are a part of life, and still strive to cultivate happiness whenever we can. This honest and gentle approach allows for a more profound and genuine sense of well-being.

Friday, May 19th, is Dave Munns Day. It’s a day that I marked in my calendar seven years ago to remember the passing of a good friend and co-worker, Munnsy. One day, in our morning leadership meeting, Munnsy first told us about his cancer diagnosis. He set a tone of determination to fight this thing, and we rallied around him. The hashtag adopted by the entire marketing department was #betonmunnsy. Through round after round of chemo, he never stopped joking, singing his favorite song “Brandy,” and doing that funny little dance of his. He chose to stay positive, and he wanted the good times to continue for everyone around him.

In the end, Munnsy developed an infection in his chemo port and was admitted to the hospital. This meant that he missed one of the concerts of our employee rock band program. So, we live-streamed a 12-hour Mega Munnsy Marathon concert from my living room to raise money for his family and so he could enjoy some music. A week later, the infection took him, and we were all devastated.

The family announced that there would not be a funeral. Instead, they hosted a celebration ceremony for Munnsy. Through the overwhelming grief, sadness, and sorrow that we were all feeling, that final celebration of Dave’s life was soon filled with laughter, happiness, love, and music. It was a choice of happiness we all made to honor the only way Dave can be remembered. As we gathered there in  sadness, it was almost as if he magically wiped away our sorrows, and called out to each of us to get the party started, as today’s fortune does, “The good times start when I count to 3: 1... 2... 3.”