In the spirit of the holidays, this is part 2 of a story I originally posted in November of 2017 that reminds us that our inner child still has lessons to teach…
So I solved the mystery of the ghost light. You can read part 1 of my true life ghost story here. On day six of the adventure, I rose before dawn to find the light once again glimmering on the hillside. My back was on the mend and I was up early enough to give ghost hunting another go. My wife, Lisa, took her post on our deck while I grabbed my flashlight and headed out to unravel the mystery once and for all.
I made my way to the summit and quickly scrambled down a now almost familiar route. As I stood among the brambles, I clicked off my flashlight and looked around. Nothing. I called Lisa. She could still see the elusive light so I worked my way across the slope following her directions. Finally she said excitedly, “You’re right on top of it!” I looked around, bewildered. Our ghost was still winning its game of hide and seek.
Then I saw it. Fifteen feet farther down the slope, I could just make out a glow coming from beneath a bush. The upward angle of Lisa’s vantage point gave her the illusion that I had reached our ghost when I was really above it. I made my way toward the mysterious light as quickly as I dared, my wounded ankle reminding me of the price of haste.
Finally, I was staring down at the ghost light. And I was still utterly confused. A strip of greenish light about six feet long and four inches wide was glowing on the ground before me. It looked as if someone had tagged the mountain with glowing spray paint. I scoured the nearby ground trying to find its source but came up empty. I wondered if perhaps it actually was glowing paint so I bent down to touch it. When I saw the shadow of my hand, I knew it wasn’t paint. I stepped to the lower end of the luminous stripe and it disappeared, lost in my shadow. It was coming from somewhere behind me. Completely mystified, I turned around and looked down the slope, both on the mountain and in the backyards of my neighbors, in an attempt to find the origin of this weird light. Nothing.
My first view without zoom
Wracking my brain for other possibilities, I paused for a moment to take in the view of the lights from other neighborhoods far in the distance. And then I froze. Rubbed my eyes and looked again. It couldn’t be. About a half mile away, in a completely different neighborhood, someone had erected a giant green spotlight in their yard. And not just any spotlight. A nuclear powered spotlight. Even at that distance, I literally couldn’t stare directly at it because it was so blinding. I held my hand up toward it and my skin was bathed in a greenish glow. I had found our ghost.
With partial zoom
But what about the way we saw the light dim and brighten, swirl and dance? Had we imagined it? Then it hit me. Trees. Either in their yard or somewhere in between, tree branches waving in the breeze had moved across this giant laser beam and given the illusion of a ghostly light dancing on our mountain.
I stood there in stunned silence, a thousand thoughts going through my head. Why in the world would a person put a giant green mega-watt spotlight in their yard? To be honest, I felt let down that the explanation wasn’t a little more exotic. After all that wondering and speculating and stumbling through rugged terrain in the dark, it was a spotlight. A strange but very terrestrial spotlight. But I also felt a great sense of accomplishment. I had done it! I had solved the mystery of The Ghost Light of Whisper Mountain.
With full zoom
So what does this story have to do with learning how to be happy? I think one of many keys to being happy is this – choose to embrace it all. Every step you take. Every stage you go through. Every season you’re in. Try to find the joy in wherever you find yourself on your journey. In this case, I loved that week of mystery, wondering what the light could be, talking with Lisa about it, racing up the mountain in the dark with friends. The wonder-and-investigate stage was fun. And though its conclusion was less than supernatural, I loved solving the puzzle. I enjoyed the feeling of pride that came from putting in the work and unmasking the ghost. Rather than focusing on the disappointment of discovering my distant neighbor’s odd choice of landscape lighting, I’m reveling in a case well solved and looking forward to the next mystery that life brings my way.
I think this idea needs a little more unpacking but I’ll save that for my next post. For now, in your search for happiness, choose to embrace it all. Try to find the good, the beauty, the joy hidden in every situation. If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
I was sitting on a bench at Denison College in Ohio when it happened. I had just finished my run and was waiting to walk my daughter to her play rehearsal when a loud, cheery voice called out, “Good morning! How are you?” Startled, I looked up and saw a groundskeeper in an orange vest, trash stick in hand. He was staring right at me with a big smile on his face. From the articulation of his words and some of his facial features, I realized that he was a person with an intellectual disability. I stumbled out what I hope was an appropriate response and he moved on.
As I sat on the bench and reflected on that encounter, I started asking myself some hard questions: Why aren’t I more like that? More unabashedly friendly? Why am I not that happy? If he’s the one with a disability, why is his outlook on life so positive?
In that moment, I was reminded of how big an impact the attitude I choose has on my happiness. The way I decide to look at life, regardless of my circumstances, will largely determine my enjoyment of it. I’ve seen it clearly in others – some people with health, wealth, friends, and family who are stressed and bitter while others dealing with illness, poverty, and loss shine with joy and hope.
I’m not advocating denying our pain and struggles. Some of us face incredible hardships or are in a season of spirit-crushing trials. Neither “put on a happy face” or “don’t worry, be happy” is a magic elixir for contentment. But, no matter what our circumstances, we do have the ability to chose our attitude. The power to see our difficulties as insurmountable joy-killers or real opportunities for personal growth is ours to wield.
We all have challenges in life that threaten our experience of joy, things that will either make us bitter or make us better. The attitude we choose to take toward these challenges will greatly determine if we feel stressed and defeated or peaceful and hopeful. Choose well today. Be grateful. Notice beauty. Show kindness. If you do, you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.
It came out of nowhere. My wife and I were driving back from playing PokemonGo in a nearby park (yes, we’re still playing – it keeps us walking). A loud flapping sound started coming from the rear of the car. I pulled over and a quick check revealed the cause: a completely blown tire. We were close to home so I nursed the wounded SUV into our driveway.
After my mental reset, I began the chore with a much better attitude, thinking of myself as fortunate instead of a victim of road hazard fate. While it didn’t make changing the tire fun, it made the experience a whole lot less painful.
Later, as I was reflecting on the morning’s events, I began thinking about everything that led to that beautiful conversation. Had we not blown the tire, I wouldn’t have been in the driveway and that deeper talk probably wouldn’t have happened. If I hadn’t decided to choose gratitude over frustration, I doubt I’d have been in the right head space to share anything helpful or hopeful with my friend. Something really good would have been missed, and I would have spent my morning feeling discouraged (and perhaps not Triple B’d – Blessed By Bacon).