The Story Behind Ullabetta

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Ullabetta is a made-up word, created by my daughter when she was just eight years old. She is an intuitive young woman, but I could not have predicted the wisdom that she offered to me in such a genuine and inspirational manner. Perhaps, it is because she is my daughter, or maybe it was just the right timing, or a combination of both. Regardless, I was compelled to listen carefully to her life changing message.

In 2019, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Sarcoma found at stage IV. It is a soft tissue cancer that has no conventional treatment options. It is tough to learn from my doctors that there is no viable treatment, so naturally I have had some difficulty at times in processing the predicted outlook. I understood in concept how anxiety didn’t help my quality of life, yet I was still struggling. Almost a year post diagnosis, how I processed this issue changed, as would much of how I live my life.

One June night in 2020, I was gifted the word, Ullabetta. I had no idea of how important this night would ultimately be to me. This all started one evening after putting my kids to bed and hearing my daughter laugh when I thought she was sleeping. Her laugh was contagious and I found myself starting to grin a bit as I began to uptake her positive energy. My grin turned into both of us in a deep belly laugh. Through broken laughs, and with considerable effort, she was eventually able to tell me that she had invented a word. She told me the word was Ullabetta. As we sat there at the end of her bed recovering from all joy, we decided that the word must mean that we should, ‘Laugh Often’. Shortly after this happy experience, she would close her eyes and fall fast asleep.

Later, I sat and reflected on how my disposition had changed incredibly from feeling quite low, to feeling very optimistic and happy. Obviously, a flood of biochemical feelings had been released due to my laughter, but it was more than that to me. I believed strongly, and still do, that at the core of this interaction, that there was some type of spiritual intervention from or through her that was meant to challenge me and communicate that happiness itself is always a choice. Indeed, in those minutes, the classic battle of light against dark was playing out in real time, and my daughter’s unrelenting and ever- growing laughter had won definitively while teaching me some of life’s most valuable principles. I learned that in any storm, I must consciously choose to be present and lean towards laughter and joy while appreciating every opportunity that I am given. This once in a lifetime teaching event was transformative and I have held these lessons closely since that night.

In the weeks that followed, I realized that in order to laugh often and be present, it was critical to make sure that I also Live Well. ‘Live Well’ in this context does not mean that I need to jump out of planes or climb tall mountains, it simply means that as I live my life, I must be cognizant of the people, places, and things that I am engaged with and make conscious choices to limit or change those interactions that might take from my happiness and ability to be present.

We use Ullabetta with family and friends as a greeting and to show love and support. Beyond that, I check in daily with the lessons of Ullabetta to remind myself to choose to make every minute count and live as happily and presently as possible. I continue in my search to find ways to self-heal, and I am confident that I will find the answers, but as important, I am enjoying the ride through life. We hope this finds some relevance in your own lives. Ullabetta – Laugh Often, Live Well is a reminder to anyone in need that feeling good in the world is important and that to support this, we all have the freedom to decide where we put our attention and how we live our lives.

As Ullabetta finds its way in the world, we hope to spread this positive message and use profits to support cancer and other non-profit organizations that have within their missions, a goal to bring happiness and hope into the lives of those that need it. 

Please follow us on Instagram @ullabettaworld. If you would like to email me directly, you can do so at djwellington29@yahoo.com.