Seeing our kids eat decently certainly brings a glow, but there are lots of other things that make us happy – little things that often go unnoticed in our never ending quest for what’s next – in terms of achievement, material goods, personal enhancement, and professional milestones.
Happiness is:
An unexpected effort, an unexpected insight, an unexpected hug
Finding a dollar in your car console when you pull into McDonald’s drive-thru for a quick cup of coffee
Spotting the first bulbs of spring and then enjoying their daily progress
Discovering a long lost pair of sunglasses in the bottom of your purse with frame intact and none of those minute little screws missing
Going to breakfast with a friend that not only knew you before you had a husband and kids, but before you had braces and breasts
Driving in an unfamiliar part of town on a sunny Sunday morning and finding a non-franchised eatery, an antique jewelry store and a yarn shop only steps away from each other, peering curiously in the windows while vowing to come back to explore – and then – doing just that
Seeing your favorite house go up For Sale, attending the Open House and realizing you like your own house better after all
Working harder because of frustration and working smarter because of defeat
Knowing you have an additional bottle of Chanel #5 stashed away
Cultivating the ability to stop obsessing over what you didn’t get and realizing what you gained by NOT having it
Finding five containers of your favorite flavor of yogurt (pineapple) still on the shelves
Saving a normal everyday tape from your answering machine and playing it over a year later
Having reading glasses that are unscratched, clean and around your neck on a chain – when you need them
Hearing on the radio Peter, Paul and Mary singing “Where have all the flowers gone?”
Witnessing your husband being more excited over finding his high school varsity letter than finding his old girlfriend’s love letters
Forgetting to record a check deposit, not a check
Seeing a policeman hidden away clocking speeders and knowing you’re already under 55 MPH
These are just a few of the many things that can bring a burst of sunshine in the middle of the fray. Let’s allow ourselves the time to pause, reflect and register the feeling of happiness that so many small things can bring. Let’s find the joy that resides in those heretofore untapped spaces.
