Yesterday I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to do:

Get a coffee and go sit by the water. Yes. That sounded perfect.

Having moved to Kingston, Ontario last summer, and then experiencing one of the longest and coldest winters I can remember, I am eager for sunshine. For warmth. For summertime ease and happiness.

Kingston is a beautiful city (one of Canada’s oldest) with a vast waterfront on Lake Ontario. When I told my husband of my morning-coffee-by-the-water plan, he laughed and said he’d just been thinking the same thing. Great minds thinking alike.

So we piled into the car, dog in tow, and stopped for coffee before heading downtown. We even remembered to bring change for the parking meter.

Within moments of being outside the car, my husband and I both recalled the numerous times Kingston locals had told us (warned us?) about the ‘May Flies’. They were everywhere, tiny little bugs going up our noses and into my hair.

Despite this, I was firm in my conviction to enjoy my coffee by the water. I chose a rock by the shore and parked myself there. May Flies be damned.

My husband felt differently, so irritated by these little bugs that he decided to walk the dog to avoid staying in one place for too long. And I was ok with that. Just me, my coffee, and the waterfront.

It was beautiful, warm, and peaceful. The flies were around me the whole time, but I did not let them ruin it. I was committed to this experience and no amount of May Flies could stop me.

I took this time to meditate, pray, and commune with my higher power. A true Aquarian in every sense, water is where I feel closest to God. As the Reiki flowed from me and into me, I felt more peaceful than I had in weeks.

After a few minutes of solitude, I was joined by my husband and dog, with a mention of going to wait for me in the car because the bugs were so bad.

“You can’t just put up with it for a while?” I asked. He couldn’t. It was too annoying. So he went to the car and I stayed there by the water. Happily, peacefully, willfully.

As I sat contemplating my life, I recognized in that moment an element that was absent from many other areas of my life: an absolute resolve to enjoy something no matter the outside circumstances.

Yes, there were flies all around me, and of course they were somewhat irritating. However innocent their intentions, I wasn’t in the mood for a mouthful of flies with each sip of coffee. And yet I refused to get up and leave. I was committed to this morning-coffee-by-the-water experience no matter what.

Where else in my life am I so staunchly unrelenting in my pursuit of happiness?

Truthfully….not many places. As a sensitive and empathic person, it’s all too easy for me to absorb other people’s emotions, to be swayed by grey skies, to over-think everything, or to give up on getting what I want because it’s just easier that way.

This was a wake-up call for me. In any moment of any day, I can choose to be happy. No one or no thing can take that away from me.

I made a choice to tolerate the flies because the payoff was greater than the annoyance.

Had they been the biting variety of bugs, I may not have stayed so long. But they are just innocent little bugs whose entire existence lasts mere days. And I’ll bet they were as eager for sunshine and warmth as I.

Did I ruin their day by swatting a few times? By waving my hands to keep them from my face? Maybe, but probably not. So how could I possibly allow them to ruin my day?

I was accepted into their swarm, and we peacefully coexisted. I chose to feel the pleasure of a beautifully warm spring day over the minor irritation of tiny flies.

That was my choice. My decision. One that could only be impacted by another if I let it.

Every single day, we have numerous opportunities to choose happiness.

We may want to blame others for taking our good mood, or for ruining our day, but the truth is that we are never powerless over how we feel. Regardless of what is happening to us or around us, we always have a choice.

I needed this reminder. And I bet you do too.

So the next time you feel pushed, uncomfortable, or twisted, ask yourself: Do I have a choice about how I feel in this moment?

Yes, you do. You can choose happiness. It is always available to you. Even when bugs fly up your nose.