Because you asked, here is an idea. Hope you don't think I am lame! Why dont you write what you typically write, spill out all the pain and then rewrite it as the joyful story you wish it to be. I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty to rewrite a piece of yours that I really connected with into a joyful piece, as follows:

"We created a world big enough for the both of us; big enough to fit your pain and mine. The garden we made together has grown and flourished. There is a big open room allowing us the space to love each other. You cleaned out the boxes from your childhood, along with your addiction. I built a castle for us, one where we could get away from the world when we wanted, a place where we could patch and paint over the crumbling walls, gazing upon the rolling hills outside of the picture window. We found our way, making a new world for ourselves, with a new garden where the seedlings are blooming and thriving. I wish the whole world could see them now, as they breathe."

Despite being surrounded by darkness that feels as if it is pressing in from all sides, squeezing so tightly I cannot breathe – there is happiness to be found in every day.

My friend's young daughter woke up joyfully one morning exclaiming to her parents, "We woke up!" What better way to greet the day than with joy? Attitude is so important. If you start the day with negativity, chances are you will color your day that way as well.

I wake up and greet my husband with a smile (sometimes a song or a silly poem). I appreciate his sleepy-eyes filled with love for me. Even when I am up at 4 am and leave him under the blankets sound asleep, he’ll surprise me as I prepare for the day, with a hug, a kiss, a silly dance in the bathroom, to send me on my way.

I am always looking up. That blue sky with white puffy clouds that inspires my imagination to paint or write or simply to bask in the glory of existence makes me happy.

Other things that make me happy:

· Flowering trees in spring, soothing breezes rustling leaves in summer, autumnal colors in fall, branches coated with heavy snowfall in winter

· Fields of colorful flowers or covered with pure, white snow

· Cooing babies

· Joy-filled, friendly dogs

· A warm chocolate chip cookie or a cup of hot cocoa

· A soft warm blanket (or cuddling with my husband) on a cold night

· Jumping in puddles on rainy days

· Watching thunderstorms while dry inside

· When people are kind to each other

· My kitchen filled with delicious smells, my table replete with yummy foods, friends and family gathered together in my home...

When those I love are happy, my joy is unmatched.

Writing can be such a therapy for some of us; to get out all the hurt and frustration. However, writing should also be for happiness and enjoyment...there are so many happy things to write about! I've got TONS of techniques for writing out the joy...here are five:

1. Listen to happy music! Music can completely change your mood and really lighten up the day. It also is great for writing inspiration. Listening to my happy music while writing always makes what I write come out joyful. (If you need music recommendations for happy music or any kind, let me know, and I'll give you my Spotify info.)

2. Write from two perspectives! When I'm having a tough time, I write out my frustrations and feelings. It's really important to keep in mind that what you KNOW always triumphs what you FEEL. With that being said, after I have written all my feelings on one page, I write everything I know (truth and positivity) on the next page. For me, it's like a conversation being played out... reminding myself of all the good things, speaking truth to myself so that I don't get so caught up in my own hurt, and ultimately choosing joy.

3. Read a story and re-write it your way! In the same way that some people make up happy scenarios before going to sleep, re-making a story to be what you want is really satisfying. This option never lets me down! I just pick a book off my shelves or a movie's plot and make all the things happen that I want to happen. Feeling like you have a sense of control over something can be really calming, and using someone else's characters saves you the time that you'd spend creating your own characters, plot, and scene. It's basically a writing prompt (or fanfic) on your favorite story/character.

4. Get to know yourself! There are millions of lists online of goofy and oddly detailed questions for people to ask their significant others/dates to get to know them. I've found that half of those questions are things I didn't even know about myself! (Sunsets or sunrises? If you were giving a TED talk, what would it be about? A rainy night drive or a spring morning walk? The forest or the beach? What animal would you be if you could be any? What's your second favorite movie? Etc.) And honestly, everyone loves to talk about themselves, let's just admit it. Those online questions can be really fun to answer; you might learn some things about yourself.

5. Write a letter! Though almost everything is online now when it comes to communication, receiving an actual letter is so fun. Maybe get yourself a penpal from a different country to write back and forth with. I can honestly say that making a new friend through letters is one of the best things ever. You get to look forward to checking the mail all the time, you learn about someone new, and you get to be creative and thoughtful. The most wonderful part about a penpal is the mystery. You don't know what they look like, sound like, what their home is like, or what their family is like. An even more adventurous way to write letters is to complete strangers; leave a letter in public for someone to pick up and read. Leave sweet letters in books at a library or bookstore. Leave notes on the counter to a barista. Write a letter to your neighbor and leave it at their door. Tie a letter to a balloon and let it fly away. Stick a note on a car's windshield. That kind of letter-writing will automatically brighten up your day and a stranger's.

I do the same. and I am trying to stay positive, as I believe in the law of attraction so I am changing my future. To my wants, desires, and positive days ahead.

Soooo what is my idea for myself I am sharing with you?

I have at least 30 journals of all my spewing my negativity...

I am making a "Good Days" journal. and

Write in it every day!

Even if all you have to say is you saw 5 monarch butterflies and what it means

then draw butterflies, personalize it. have fun with it. Put color in it with stickers and markers. Make it vibrant.

I've been saying this for 30 years....

"Every day is a God-day, how can it not be a good-day?"

It's time for us writers to start writing about the good in our lives too if we don't already. This is a good way to start that.

"Good Daze" "Good Dayz" "Good Days" have fun with it. Let it raise your vibe instead.

If you have nothing good to write. Look up an "affirmation" and write that down. write " I love me " but every day write something positive.

"Good Daze"

Athena

Start a gratitude journal. Think of three things a day that you are thankful for. You can be thankful for people like family and friends, it can even be as simple as a good cup of coffee. Doing this enough can help rewire your mindset into looking for things to be thankful for in everything you do. This is something I need to personally work on doing every day.

Tackling happy is tough- it’s a big word.

Get specific. Besides who, what, when, where,

why is this feeling different than your normal?

Is it exciting, or maybe scary? Is it something that’s never happened before, or is it a repeat performance? How intense does it feel? Like getting a Kahoot answer right, placing first, like nailing a recipe, or like water will drip from your eyes?

Are you really happy? Or is that just what you expect happy to be like? Are you happy or are you just okay? How long can you stay that way?

Figure that out, keep it in mind, and then think of this:

Personify what is making you happy. They believe the opposite of what you feel, and it’s up to you to convince them otherwise.

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I call my wife every night since we’re pretty much long distance. Our schedules are staggered, but I always call when they’re allowed to. We like to call before bedtime, and because of my wife’s job, they tend to fall asleep first while I stay up to catch up on work. I can’t sleep unless I hear my wife snoring and sleeptalking.

Long distance is hard, of course, but we’re so close yet so far away. My parents are controlling and they don’t know about us. They’re always controlled by work training and rules and regulations. We make it work, but if it weren’t for the internet... Time apart really wrenches the heart. We see each other maybe three times a year, and I always look forward to the next time I’ll be able to hear their snoring live, in 4D.

My wife and I have very different attachment styles. I can be satisfied with just hearing their snoring for a couple hours, whereas they would rather spend every waking moment of life with me, doing all our shenanigans, without worrying about work, family, or the other shit that gets in between us.

I never should have told them I have been conditioned to only fall asleep to the sound of their snoring and room noise. Ever since I told them that, they roll their eyes in insecurity when I joke about it or tease them about it. I tell them because it's endearing, and it's cute to me, even if they don't think so.

There are multiple ways to approach making something that is more happy and lighthearted.

One way I can imagine is to use humor. There are many sayings out there saying that the best cure for sadness is laughter. Even some of the more serious topics like World War 2 can be made funny with a well placed joke or play on words.

Another way is to try to be happy yourself when you write. Our written works are often a reflection of our own feelings and it would probably be much easier to write something lighthearted if you try to fill your mind with comfortable thoughts.

Those are a couple of suggestions I have. I really hope that these ideas are helpful to you in your pursuit to write happier things!

When I write happy things, its normally due to some sort of moral realization or brilliant idea for others. Mostly thinking about others and how to help, puts me in a good mood to write.

For example, I was happy when I thought about a lesson I might teach to the kids at church. I wanted to show them that no matter what happens to them, God applies it for something good as it says in Romans 8:28. I was going to tell them about the blind man, who was blind from birth. The Pharisees asked Jesus why the man was born blind, whether it was sin from his parents or sin from the man. Jesus said it wasn't due to sin. Jesus says the reason the man was born blind was so that God's power could be seen through him. Then Jesus healed him, proving that the man was born for Jesus to show His power and heal him.

I was going to tell the story of another man who was born blind in our time. He didn't grow up in a godly home, but one day, as a young married man, he asked Christ into his heart. It was at that point he knew he had to do something for God. He wasn't called to be a preacher, and he was limited on what he could do because he couldn't see. It was then he realized there were other people in the world that were blind. He wanted to make them Bibles they could read. So he started his ministry of making Braille Bibles. Someone would request, and he would happily give them a free Braille Bible. He could have been upset over his disability but instead he found something that he was able to do and do it for God.

It's these thoughts that prepare me to write happier things. My brain is a little unorthodox but it works.