right arrow / space / right side of screen for next slide left arrow / left side of screen for previous slide i started writing this piece a week after winning a contest with a podcast i wrote around a year ago. when receiving critique for my podcast, i was told that it was "too happy" and therefore, nobody would feel anything while listening. i made some edits, causing it to be less upbeat, and eventually won the contest. when i looked out into the audience, several people were crying after hearing my podcast. i couldn't help but think that i shouldn't have had to cause people to cry in order to win. i have never liked purple prose. it has always held me back, because i prefer writing to be direct. i like writing that gets the point across. more often than not, direct writing is more beautiful than purple prose, at least in my eyes. i've never understood why we as a society prefer sad writing. why must we suppress our happiness? why is writing only beautiful when it tells the tale of a struggle? i have recovered from many things and i have finally found happiness and acceptance in my life. i want to be able to tell the world about that, express the fact that there is hope - that life does get better. and i think that everyone deserves to feel comfortable expressing their happiness, not just me. that is why i wrote this - for the people who have felt like they had to tone down their happiness in order to be considered selfless. you deserve to smile as much as you can. you deserve to choose happiness over sadness.
word count: 1,182 words originally shared 7/26/2025 reshared 8/10/2025 i want to thank everyone who has supported me over the past few months. i have lost people that i used to trust, but i have also gained new friends in the process.
