Monday, December 7, 2020

You Can Make Happiness Wherever You Go

Erik Gray's Journals
#journalgems
Written by Erik January 2017

Kelsie had been saving up to move to Spain for a loooong time. She moved toward the end of the summer. At first, she was going to move around June, and then she had to wait for her Visa, so she pushed it back to August. And then one more time, she pushed it back to either the end of August or beginning of summer, I can’t remember. But anyway, she finally was able to move to Spain! She got a job teaching English to children. She had left after I knew that my cancer was deemed incurable. So when I said goodbye to her, it was with the thoughts of “Wow, I’m never going to see her again on the earth!” And it was saddening to me. I was up in Salt Lake for the weekend when she left (Sept 18th- Ill get to that later), so I was able to grab dinner with her at Dennys and then said goodbye.

She did enjoy the freedom and bliss and lifestyle over there. I knew she would! She said that her job was extremely hard, though. She was stressed out that way. I think eventually she got burned out. She told me that she would have to travel out of town just to even attend Church. And I remember a chat I had with her one night… she wasn’t happy. And she realized that the destination isn’t the happiness. I’m assuming that she thought that everything would be happy and life would be awesome once she moved to Spain, but realized that life is what you make it--- she can be happy anywhere she goes.

Around Christmas time, I sent her a message and wished her a merry Christmas, asked her what her plans were. She said she was going to travel to Barcelona. So that was that. But on Christmas day, we are sitting on the couch opening presents. There’s a knock at the door. I’m sitting on the couch and turn my head as Mom opens the door, and there is KELSIE! She had flown back!!!! I was SOOO shocked and everyone could see it. I was like, “Kelsie! You’re in America! What the heck!” And the best part is that no one knew she was back, except her older sister who was the one that picked her up from the airport in Vegas. They said hi for about 5 minutes, and then continued on to her Mom’s house (which none of them knew she was coming). I asked her if she was just visiting, or what? And she told me that she’s back in the USA now for good. She moved up to Logan just a week or two ago, got her old job at the EconoLodge, and is just… happier I think. J And that’s a really good lesson I’ve learned, and it kinda sucks that Kelsie had to move all the way to Spain to learn it (but I don’t think she regretted living there)… happiness is WHAT YOU MAKE IT! It’s not a destination. It’s not a “once I hit this milestone I’ll be happy.” HAPPINESS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT. You can make happiness wherever you go!


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