Finally happy

Flash Fiction

Look at you! You’re finally happy. That smile… REAL. You’re a goof who isn’t afraid to put yourself out there. SCREW what people think… you’re happy! You hear me? You’re happy! And don’t let anybody tell you anything different. Never let anybody stop you from being you. You’re silly, smart and funny. Look at you! Laughing and having a good time… being happy.

            Soon your happiness will fade, you’ll feel worthless and empty. You will wish you were dead. But not to worry because your happiness will come again. Being happy is a choice, and once you remember you have that choice, your life will be clean again. Ups and downs are commons just remember… you can be happy.

Authors Statement

When you’re happy, you show it. And when you’re sad you hide it. In my photo on one side of the fence is sadness and depression.  And on the other, is happiness. This photo shows that I am on the right side of the fence, where I am happy. Showing I overcame the sadness and depression and overcame the ‘fence’ that was blocking me from my true colors. The pink filter I used represents the happiness I am showing. Same with the rainbows, when you’re happy everything around you is bright and glowing, and you have that 'glow' that you give off. You can't see it, but I'm actually wearing a crop top. That's important to me, because I have been struggling with body confidence for a while now. And to be wearing something that shows some skin, means I'm stepping out of my comfort zone.

            The writing that goes with the piece shares about how happy I finally am, and how ups and downs happen but I don’t stay down for too long or I could be sucked back in. They related because the piece is talking about my smile and happiness and how in my life I'm gonna have ‘dark’ areas. And it reminds me to just be happy. In my flash fiction I bolded and italicized the word 'happy' because I wanted it to stand out from the rest of the piece showing that I am proud of my happiness. I also had bolded and enlarged the word 'clean'. The word 'clean' can mean many different things, but when relating to depression, it means, not harming yourself. I made it big to empathize that I am clean and proud of my accomplishments. Another edit I did was cross out the sentence: "Soon your happiness will fade, you’ll feel worthless and empty. You will wish you were dead." The reason I chose to do that was because it's something I don't want to feel anymore. If I block it out, the feeling will go away. Happiness is something that is hard to reach for some, and when I was in 7th grade (2012), I was diagnosed with depression. It affected me in many ways, but recently I've started to overcome it. I chose to write about this so others can read this, and to share that things do get better. Happiness is reachable and anybody can reach it.

Reflection

Being happy can be easy for most people, but for some, they feel they can never be truly happy. It all has to do with your personality. In the Rorschach activity, we had to look at different photos of inkblots and describe what we saw. Together the class found out that we all have different personalities based on what we saw. A sad person may see something different than someone who's not. Your personality plays an important role in how you may feel. If you look down on yourself your personality might be more, shy and conservative. Many people claim you can't change your personality, or that your personality can change but it might take a while. I believe that your personality can change and can happen quicker than some people think. 
In the Ted Talk “How to Overcome Bias,” Verna Meyers talks about walking towards the things that make you uncomfortable. She shares how she wants everyone to walk towards the things they’re afraid of. By telling people to do that, when people act on it they are changing their personality. “Children are at the table.” She states. Meaning the generation after us is what can create change and alter the way we see things. The Rorschach test is another great way to identify a personality swap. The Rorschach test was first designed to help discover what disorders people had. Whether it be schizophrenia or bipolar, when seeing certain things it could identify if you had a disorder. When you first take the test versus after you’ve gotten treatment, the answer can be very different. Going to show that your personality has the ability to change.
I believe your personality can change depending on if you want it too. Mrs. Merritt a math teacher at Kennedy high school shared, “Don’t let the bad days over power the good days.” And that is a quote I have been learning to live by. Ever since I’ve heard that quote it has impacted me to think the way I do. I don’t drag on the bad days anymore, instead I embrace the good ones. I have gone from depressed to being happier than I have ever been. Ever since I started emphasizing my happiness, my depression has drifted away. And I hope to keep it that way for a while.