One of your polls struck a nerve. The poll asked, "Do you think happy people are just naturally happy or do they create their own happiness?" I voted "Naturally happy," but truthfully, I am ambivalent on this. I think it is different for each person.

When I was married to my wife, I was as happy as a clam. Then, after she passed away, I have been in a funk for over 11 years now. Personally, my happiness was tied to my circumstance, and being married and having a family was all I ever really wanted from life. After a very short 16 years and 8 months, I was alone again and my happiness evaporated. 

My wife, on the other hand, was a very naturally happy person, always upbeat, always thinking things will work out, always looking at the bright side of things, and always smiling. And her smile was always genuine, never forced or fake. The night before she passed, our 14-year-old daughter and I went to visit her in the ICU. My wife knew how grave the situation was. But there she was, being hooked up to hoses and needles and machines as doctors tried to save her life, and when I walked in, she looked up and SMILED at me! She had one of those infectious smiles, a toothy grin that could light up a room, even as it turns out, THAT room. I will never forget that moment. 

Albert