It’s spring, and suddenly all the trees are budding. It’s easy to be in a good mood when the season is changing to warmer weather and things are green. But in this part of the country (Colorado), winter is not over. It was 70 degrees yesterday, but it’s forecast to snow today. People around here can get a little grumpy when that happens.

But why should our moods be so affected by changes in the weather? Does the weather make us happy? Sure, blue skies make a difference. But a happy outlook has more staying power than the weather patterns – we have choice about how we feel.

Happiness is a habit that we can sustain, no matter if it’s raining or how grumpy the boss is. Looking through the eyes of gratitude makes the happiness habit second nature.