Assignment 19: Plastics

Whenever I am asked about the advice I have received a few quotes from my parents come to mind. The two I think of first are "Never let your happiness depend on others"- Mom and "Never eat ice cream in a place that used to be a tattoo parlor"- Dad. My dad is an interesting man as you can tell but other than humor and one less ice cream shop I can eat at it, it hasn't really impacted my life as much as my mom's. You see my mom has been telling me this since I was a little girl. When I would cry because other little girls were being mean to me on the playground, or my friends didn't invite me somewhere, or a boy broke my heart. The advice is timeless. And for the most part I think its a valid statement. Whenever I got down in the dumps and realized that I was focusing all my energy on what others did or thought or said, I would hear my mom's soothing voice in my head telling me never let your happiness depend others. However, as I have grown up I have also learned that sometimes other's happiness does impact us. When someone I love is in pain or suffering, my happiness does depend on theirs. But my mom's point was that we create our happiness. No one can give it to us, or take it away from us, unless we allow them to, but that is our choice.