As promised, here is the entirety of August 4, 2014... Day 1000:
Happiness is.. a solid foundation. A few days ago, a good friend of mine asked me why I put so much time into things like my Relay for Life team and The Smile Project. My knee jerk reaction was to say, “Because I love it!” But with today being right around the corner, I decided to dig deeper. I don’t do this crazy happiness campaign because I’m having a love affair with joy. It’s quite the opposite actually. I work on The Smile Project because I know what sadness is. I know what it’s like to be knocked to your lowest point in an overpowering battle with darkness. I have felt stomach-dropping pain.. and for that, I am grateful. I do The Smile Project because I know that it isn’t always easy to find the silver lining. I do The Smile Project, though, because I know that it is still there.. even if it’s hard to see. But most of all, I do The Smile Project for every single person who has ever been down. Who has ever been told they weren’t good enough. Who has been consumed by self-doubt and fear and had the breath knocked out of them again and again and again until all they wanted, all they needed, was a small victory.
You are that victory. You beautiful, wind-torn, struggle-laden people are victories. For every day you climb out of bed despite the hurt, you are victorious. Because you chose to live. And you chose to love. And you chose to smile. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think a smile just might be the foundation of a really beautiful life.
Thanks guys.