One of my favorite friends of all time, from the time we were in grammar school, is my Beatles-loving friend, Denise.
Her father, God rest his soul, drove two hysterical teenagers from the south suburbs of Chicago to Comiskey Park (White Sox Stadium) to watch the Beatles in concert one hot August day in 1965. I wrote about that experience in my article, Commemorating John Lennon's 70th Birthday, October 9, 2010: The Day John Lennon Waved at Me.
But beyond being Beatles buddies, Denise has always held a special place in my heart. Years and even months may pass, but we always manage to pick up where we left off.
One year, when she was pregnant with one of her sons, I recommended a name for him – Ker. She was not amused. Their last name was Plunk.
And that completes Day #11 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, K.
Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:
Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge
Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge
Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge
When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge
Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge
Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge
The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge
Happiness & Joy – Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge
Idiots in the Attic – Day #9 from the A-Z Challenge
Jokes Accidentally – Day #10 from the A-Z Challenge
Showing posts with label The A-Z Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The A-Z Challenge. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Happiness & Joy – Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge
So many times throughout my life, I hear the comment, "I just want to be happy," but what does happiness mean exactly?
The Oxford dictionary defines Happiness as a feeling of showing pleasure or contentment. Joy, on the other hand (from the same Oxford dictionary), is a feeling of GREAT (emphasis mine) pleasure and happiness.
How do you know when you're happy? Through smiles? Through laughter?
Apparently happiness comes through contentment. As we struggle through our days, focused on errands we have to run, meals we have to prepare, laundry we have to wash, children we have to bathe, groceries we have to buy, carpets we need to vacuum, counters we need to clean, jobs we have to complete, events we have to attend, and appointments we have to make, we lose ourselves in our day-to-day lives.
By Friday night, we are often too exhausted to feel happy – unless we have plans for the weekend. During the week, though, many of us feel depressed that every day we experience the same routine: get up, get ready, go to work, work all day, come home, work all evening, go to bed, get up…
But we are also often unaware of how lucky we are that we have errands to run, food to eat, clothes to wear, children to hug, and all of the other reasons we should feel blessed to be alive.
We need to pay more attention to those times we smile and laugh, and we need to recognize and take advantage of those moments that bring joy into our lives, because the more we focus on happiness and joy, the more joy and happiness we'll experience.
What would make YOU happy right now? Here is an example of one unexpected answer I received to that question:
I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner one night, asking my grandchildren for suggestions, when my phone vibrated with a text message from my oldest daughter, Keeley, wanting to know what the road conditions would be like for her on her four hour trip.
My grandson, Kaden, was talking to me at the same time, trying to resolve the what-to-have-for-dinner dilemma, insisting that all of my dinner problems would be resolved if only we had Chinese for dinner. I kept telling him, WHILE I was texting Keeley, that neither his mother nor I could afford Chinese.
As I continued to check road conditions for the town my daughter was passing through on her way to Bourbonnais (her destination from West Frankfort), my phone rang. It was my son, so I interrupted the text to take the phone call.
After my son and I talked for a few minutes, Greg asked to talk to his kids. Only Kaden and Zac were home, so before I put them on, I said to Greg's sons, as I walked toward them holding the phone, "I have a surprise for you. What do you think it is? What would make you really happy right now?"
Fully expecting them to notice the phone in my hand, and hoping Greg could hear his sons say, "My daddy! My daddy!" what happened instead – and I shouldn't have been surprised – was Kaden's response: "Chinese."
I have to tell you, that comment brought a smile to my face and laughter to my voice. Smiles and laughter give me joy. And experiencing joy makes me happy.
That completes Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, H.
Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:
Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge
Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge
Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge
When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge
Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge
Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge
The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge
The Oxford dictionary defines Happiness as a feeling of showing pleasure or contentment. Joy, on the other hand (from the same Oxford dictionary), is a feeling of GREAT (emphasis mine) pleasure and happiness.
How do you know when you're happy? Through smiles? Through laughter?
Apparently happiness comes through contentment. As we struggle through our days, focused on errands we have to run, meals we have to prepare, laundry we have to wash, children we have to bathe, groceries we have to buy, carpets we need to vacuum, counters we need to clean, jobs we have to complete, events we have to attend, and appointments we have to make, we lose ourselves in our day-to-day lives.
By Friday night, we are often too exhausted to feel happy – unless we have plans for the weekend. During the week, though, many of us feel depressed that every day we experience the same routine: get up, get ready, go to work, work all day, come home, work all evening, go to bed, get up…
But we are also often unaware of how lucky we are that we have errands to run, food to eat, clothes to wear, children to hug, and all of the other reasons we should feel blessed to be alive.
We need to pay more attention to those times we smile and laugh, and we need to recognize and take advantage of those moments that bring joy into our lives, because the more we focus on happiness and joy, the more joy and happiness we'll experience.
What would make YOU happy right now? Here is an example of one unexpected answer I received to that question:
I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner one night, asking my grandchildren for suggestions, when my phone vibrated with a text message from my oldest daughter, Keeley, wanting to know what the road conditions would be like for her on her four hour trip.
My grandson, Kaden, was talking to me at the same time, trying to resolve the what-to-have-for-dinner dilemma, insisting that all of my dinner problems would be resolved if only we had Chinese for dinner. I kept telling him, WHILE I was texting Keeley, that neither his mother nor I could afford Chinese.
As I continued to check road conditions for the town my daughter was passing through on her way to Bourbonnais (her destination from West Frankfort), my phone rang. It was my son, so I interrupted the text to take the phone call.
After my son and I talked for a few minutes, Greg asked to talk to his kids. Only Kaden and Zac were home, so before I put them on, I said to Greg's sons, as I walked toward them holding the phone, "I have a surprise for you. What do you think it is? What would make you really happy right now?"
Fully expecting them to notice the phone in my hand, and hoping Greg could hear his sons say, "My daddy! My daddy!" what happened instead – and I shouldn't have been surprised – was Kaden's response: "Chinese."
I have to tell you, that comment brought a smile to my face and laughter to my voice. Smiles and laughter give me joy. And experiencing joy makes me happy.
That completes Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, H.
Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:
Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge
Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge
Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge
When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge
Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge
Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge
The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge
The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge
Growing up, my sisters and I weren't allowed to sit at the grownup table. The first time I was invited to sit with the adults was after I had already given birth to my oldest daughter.
I was living with my parents when they called me to join them at the GROWNUP table. I panicked. Sitting with the GROWNUPS was my cousin, who was my age (his wife had also given birth that year – our babies were only 3 months apart), my aunt, my uncle, and my parents.
My discomfort was probably more than just a little apparent when I said NOTHING to ANYBODY the WHOLE TIME. I felt like an alien, who spoke a completely different language, dropped onto this planet and forced to communicate in the language of GROWNUP.
I was terrified. What if I said something stupid? What if nobody understood me? What if GROWNUP language was different from ORDINARY PEOPLE language? So I grabbed my baby and talked to her.
Years later, you would still find me on the floor playing with the babies (we have lots of them in our family). Out of habit, I tend to stick with the kids. Though I must confess, I'm now more comfortable with adults than I was years ago (took me over 50 years), and I can now speak to adults in coherent sentences.
As I end this blog, I have only one request for parents – please ask you kids to join you in adult conversations BEFORE they turn 18 – PLEASE!
And that completes Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, G.
Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:
Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge
Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge
Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge
When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge
Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge
Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge
I was living with my parents when they called me to join them at the GROWNUP table. I panicked. Sitting with the GROWNUPS was my cousin, who was my age (his wife had also given birth that year – our babies were only 3 months apart), my aunt, my uncle, and my parents.
My discomfort was probably more than just a little apparent when I said NOTHING to ANYBODY the WHOLE TIME. I felt like an alien, who spoke a completely different language, dropped onto this planet and forced to communicate in the language of GROWNUP.
I was terrified. What if I said something stupid? What if nobody understood me? What if GROWNUP language was different from ORDINARY PEOPLE language? So I grabbed my baby and talked to her.
Years later, you would still find me on the floor playing with the babies (we have lots of them in our family). Out of habit, I tend to stick with the kids. Though I must confess, I'm now more comfortable with adults than I was years ago (took me over 50 years), and I can now speak to adults in coherent sentences.
As I end this blog, I have only one request for parents – please ask you kids to join you in adult conversations BEFORE they turn 18 – PLEASE!
And that completes Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, G.
Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:
Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge
Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge
Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge
When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge
Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge
Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge
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