For most of my life I had issues with happiness. I've dealt with depression since at least 5th grade {I could blame it on the horrible girls who quite literally hated me and the small class size...but let's not go there today}. I wasn't always deep in the throws of horrible depression. Sometimes I was even greatly happy. But other times...
  When I started high school I moved from a small little class of about 17 into a public school where my freshman class was 500 something {and we were a smaller class}. I knew no one. Eventually I made a friend or two, but all the kids I was with had already banded together in middle school while I'd been in a teeny tiny private school. This led to me spiraling even more into depression.
  The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school my mother got married. This led to us moving to a tiny town in Kansas, where yet again I knew no one. The high school was much smaller {my class was only about 100 something}. However I still was pretty depressed.
  I started dating a guy that year {who I ended up dating all throughout high school and who is my son's father}. If anything, dating him made me more depressed than I already was. He was a moody, depressed guy who pity partied ALL THE TIME.
  I found out I was pregnant about halfway through my junior year of high school. Needless to say, shocker. But instead of getting into an even worse depression, this sort of buoyed me. Instead of simply living day by day in my own personal made hell, I had someone to live for. Now I'm not advocating teen pregnancy or saying that getting pregnant is a solve all to all depression, I'm just saying God knew what he was doing.
  After I had my son I was tired, I was working my butt off to take care of him, and I still am. This little booger is the craziest most energetic little boy, possibly in the world. But he has truly helped me find my happiness.
  I was always doodling and such when I was younger but I never truly got into art until college. To be honest, I'm not even entirely sure why I majored in art. It sort of just happened {it seems like a lot of good stuffs just been happening lately}. At the end of my freshman year I switched over to Art Ed {again, just sort of happened}. I honestly couldn't be happier with my choice. Besides the face that I will forever get to play with all types of art, I also get to share my excitement of art with another generation.
  Since I've started college I've started doing a lot more art. It has helped me with stress, depression, and just general moods. It is one of the things that has helped me find my happiness. I get a rush when I'm creating something new, especially when I love what I'm making. And one of the greatest things is when I make something and show it to my lil guy and HE loves it.
  This road to finding my happiness has been a long and tiring one, and I'm still not done with my journey. But then again, none of us are.