If You're Happy and You Know It....

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

A few hours west of Cape Coast, Ghana lies a village on a lake, Nzulezo, where stilts support all of the buildings. The stilts are made from raffia trees. Every eight years, all of the stilts are changed. This village began many moons ago when people escaped Mali for a more peaceful life. Girls and boys get in a canoe every morning and make their way across the lake and down a canal to go to school. This journey takes about an hour. Men and women living in the community who need food or supplies also row their way to the nearby town, Beyin.

What struck me most with this village visit was the idea that young people actually get into a canoe and row an hour to get to school each day. Remember when your grandparents said they walked a mile every day or up some hill or whatever. Well, imagine rowing your way every day? With minimal shade to relieve you from the blazing sun? This is what we call true dedication my friends. As discouraged as I have been with the education system here in Ghana, these hardworking, determined young people left me feeling hopeful.

Maybe one of the greatest lessons I am learning while living in Ghana is that happiness truly is self-created and a state of mind. Some people here living in the depths of extreme poverty, are happier than people I know with massive amounts of “things”. I think back to my own state of mind in the last few years. It’s almost like I was looking for unhappiness. I always had something to complain about: job, love life, weather, lost friends. Over the years, I have absolutely one hundred percent been guilty of focusing on the negative in virtually all aspects of my life. I don’t have to do that. Obviously, I don’t know what these people are really thinking or feeling, but from the looks of them, many Ghanaians seem rather content. Happiness is a choice. Regardless of circumstances or factors in a person’s life, a person either chooses it or they don’t. It’s really hard sometimes, but I think it’s possible. Some Ghanaians don’t have much at all, but I get the impression that they are satisfied simply with being alive and being surrounded by family and good friends. And really, isn’t that enough?