You're way too happy. Well, you're bubbly, aren't you? What is there to be that happy about?

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard these phrases, or some variation of them. About a year ago, I went to get bagels with my friend, and upon politely ordering my food, the woman at the register nearly scoffed at me for being "way too happy."

For starters, I didn't realize being polite, accompanied with a friendly smile, was way too happy. I thought it was just that: polite and friendly. And normal? Her serious attitude didn't end there, as she handed me my change she retorted, "Don't worry, you'll grow out of that soon."

I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, purely dumbfounded by what I'd heard. This perfect stranger assumed that I saw being "way too happy" as a bad thing, that my happy days were numbered and I'd be much better off when they ran out.

I often think about this interaction, and others like it. Is there such a thing as being too happy? What does that even mean? Are so few people decent and nice that those who display common decency are then labeled as having some kind of defect? Since when is happiness a glaring character flaw? When did kindness and compassion for another human being become such a rarity that it needs to be drawn attention to in such a negative, angry way?

I don't think there's such a thing as being too happy. Nor do I think there is a limit on how happy you can be. I believe that no matter how old you get, or however many days you get on this earth, the happiness can't just be wiped away or suddenly all dried up, vanished out of thin air, never to be seen again.

I feel really sad when I think of people that have called me too happy. We clearly live in a world where happiness, especially in excess, is deemed a flaw. You're allowed to be happy, but only when it's socially acceptable. And even then, you're not allowed to show it in large increments. Here's a news flash: that's a pretty crappy way to live life. I'm a generally happy person. At any given moment, there are so many reasons to be happy about life and the world around you. I think we all would benefit from embracing moments of happiness, no matter how big or small, rather than training generations of stoic individuals to show no signs of humanity.

I am a generally happy person, and I don’t see that as a weakness. I also don’t plan on growing out of it any time soon. The fact that we, as a human race, would be expected to have an allotted time to be happy in public is completely absurd to me. What I choose to be happy or excited over is my prerogative. The idea of making someone feel bad about their outward display of happiness makes my stomach churn and my skin curl.

You never know somebody’s position in life, or what they’ve been through or are going through. You don’t know what they’ve experienced, or how hard they’ve had to fight to have that little burst of happiness. And if a bagel is all it takes to make me happy, or what I’m choosing to be happy about, I’d say I’m doing pretty well. It truly is the little things in life. At least for me, anyway.

We live on a spectacular planet that offers an infinite number of reasons to be happy. The fact that I woke up today is reason enough to be happy. It’s a beautiful day: another reason. Life is something to be happy about.