One of the more popular phrases you’ll see is one that you’ll not just overlook but roll your eyes over simply because of how corny it may seem if you’re just going about everyday life. If you’re not thinking this phrase is such, then you clearly haven’t been on the Internet or seen enough inspirational quotes;
“Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
This quote can be seen almost everywhere online, mostly because of how extremely flexible it is. There are an infinite number of things where you can apply the phrase on; finishing a good book, the end of a satisfying movie or even moving past a significant ordeal in life.
Such was the case for me. This past year several events have happened in my life, but only recently did I find myself resonating with this string of words. But before we get to that, let’s talk a bit more about the meaning behind the words.
When the phrase struck a chord with me earlier this week, I curiously did a bit of digging to learn about it and who said it. Interestingly, a bit of research led me to find that the phrase which I thought originated from the famous children’s book writer Dr Seuss was only attributed to him posthumously. There was no official record of him saying it. I found it interesting how a phrase so popular that it is the first quote on Goodreads to reach 100k likes can fail to be officially traced to its origin, effectively making it without an official source.
Although that is neither here nor there, it just speaks of how resonant the phrase is to people, be it because it’s applicable on almost anything or that it touches the deep emotional psyche of the reader.
To be completely honest, had it not have been for how overused this phrase is, it wouldn’t be treated as just another quote floating in the interwebs making rounds endlessly.
The quote itself is generally well-meaning, and if you take a beat to internalise it, actually carries a message much deeper and more heartfelt than how less than sparingly it has been used all this time. I was one offender who never took this phrase seriously, rolling my eyes every time I see it in the comments section of a YouTube clip or a Facebook comment section.
However, I have recently gained a new admiration for this phrase. The past year has been rather rocky for me. Moving into a new place after marriage, life has been rather rocky. The last thing I wanted was for more things to change as I enter a new chapter in life. But, life rarely listens to you. In the span of months, I lost both grandparents. The first was my grandmother who basically raised me and the second was my grandfather about a week ago.
My grandmother’s loss hit me hard as she was one of the closest family I had. Coupled with the changing aspects of my life, I found it difficult at times to think about her and not feel devastated. Months passed and it was my grandfather’s turn. We weren’t as close but it still made me think about the people I had lost, and that wasn’t a nice feeling at all to dwell on. As we sorted out the matter of my grandfather, I found myself turning back my Facebook on a whim for the first time in 2 or so years.
And then I saw something that immediately made me think of the aforementioned,” Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened,” phrase. I hadn’t logged in forever so when I saw my late grandmother’s friend request on Facebook, I was overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. However, the most powerful feeling that ran through me was all the memories of her, and time spent with her. I held back the strong urge to cry and accepted the friend request in an extremely belated fashion, not just sad that the time spent with her is done, but also happy that I got to spend so much time with her. This little bonus I had was quickly gone with a click of an “accept” button, but it gave me so much happiness that there was still something left for me to do for her.
Since I have nobody to thank for coming with this gem of a phrase, I can only extend my gratitude to Dr Seuss. Thank you for coming up with this heartfelt phrase to summarise my memories with my loved ones that are no longer here. I truly appreciate it.
Hartwick is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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