Attitude is everything

I had a patient today who was very cheery.  She had the kind of smile that just makes your day better.  I felt bad for her, she was on dialysis, she was not beautiful, she was significantly over weight and under privileged to boot.  Funny thing is, though, she was still happy.  She still flashed her smile and made our day.  She was still kind to us and not impatient.  Fast forward to me getting home.  I come home to my wife who is absolutely beautiful, she is healthy and does not struggle with her weight.  She has money and anything she wants I see that she gets.  She hasn't given me a genuine smile in quite some time. 

The truth of the matter is that being happy is nothing to do with your circumstances.  My wife has ideal circumstances but she is very unhappy.  The patient I had today has virtually nothing going for her, but she is a happy person, so much so it's contagious.  I want to learn to be more like my patient and be happy no matter my circumstances.   I don't want to be just happy either.  I want to be contagiously happy!