I just finished reading the story "A Little Princess" to my children. It really is a wonderful story about a wealthy girl who loses everything and still remains noble and kind and good.
One of the things the girl, Sarah, does frequently in the story is to imagine better surroundings than her poor attic room and bed. Somehow through her imagination, she is able to conjure up happiness in the worst of circumstances.
I suppose in some sense, it is good for us to look on the bright side of things, but there is something more. A man named Matt Killingsworth has been looking at what gives us happiness and found that humans are happiest when they are able to focus themselves on the thing they are doing -- even if it is something they don't enjoy. On the other hand, they are much less happy when they allow their minds to wander away from the task at hand, even if it as boring as a commute to work.
The verse comes to mind: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might..." (Eccl. 9:10). It is a command to do all things well, to do everything to the best of my ability. I know that it is important for me to do this -- to please God -- and for my own happiness.
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