If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

published November 24, 2011

in the Stockton Sentinel

Stockton, Kansas

            Following last week’s song-of-the-day suggestion, here’s another one you may not have thought of for a while:  “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap, clap)…;” then: “If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet (stomp, stomp)….” The third verse tells you to shout “Hurray!” if you’re happy, and the fourth verse has you doing all three: (clap, clap, stomp, stomp, Hurray!) That ought to be enough to get a happy little song rolling around in your head!

Every person seeks happiness. Heck, my little dog even seeks happiness, and so does my cat. I can tell if my dog is happy just by watching his tail, and my cat lets me know by his purr. Other animals aren’t quite so obvious.

Our country was founded with happiness in mind. Right there, in our Declaration of Independence, are the words, “… life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s one of those “unalienable Rights” that we have all been endowed with, according to the Declaration, established in 1776. This little phrase points to an interesting concept, suggested by the word “pursuit,” which seems to insinuate that there is no guarantee that happiness can be obtained.

            The concept of the pursuit of happiness is prevalent in media advertising, and maybe it is a contributor to the state of our society. The idea that some “thing” out there will complete my life, that I can find happiness through that new car, a bigger house, the latest smart phone, an iPad, a salary increase (obviously needed to afford all of the above), as if “then my life will be complete, and I will be happy,” only proves to be a never-ending pursuit. Those “things” may fill the void temporarily, but the happiness won’t last long because the next can’t-do-without product is always waiting in the wings.

            Our life experiences should tell us that true happiness rests internally, that it has less to do with things and more to do with what’s going on inside of us. Changing our outlook from happiness being something out there to it resting within us forces us to slow down long enough to answer this very basic question: What am I grateful for in my life?

Contrary to the ideology expressed in the Declaration of Independence, happiness is not really a pursuit after all; it already resides in a grateful heart.

So if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands, stomp your feet, and shout “Hurray!” Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and you can thank me later for getting that little song stuck in your head!