Happiness Is…

Boulder, Colorado, just south of Scott Carpenter Park
December 19, 2013

So, there I was up to my eyeballs in work, hip deep in alligators, computer running slow, internet acting up, emails piling into my inbox like the gulls of Capistrano…

I’m a day late and a dollar short…  Desk hasn’t been cleared in weeks, ailing mom needs attention, kiddo needs guidance, bad news on the radio, holiday preparations need done…

Formula for total stress, right?

Yet, in the middle of it all I hear some old Christmas melody I’ve heard a million times before and now I’m grinning like the village idiot, humming along (you’re lucky you weren’t there) and just feeling totally free from it all, perfectly happy in the moment, singing along, and yes painfully out of tune.

Didn’t last but a moment, but how do you figure?

With all our getting, especially this time of year, I think we sometimes forget how insanely simple it is to find happiness.  Right here, right now.

And like they say, you can’t force it in, it’s more like a bluebird that just landed on your shoulder.

Well, that’s what I wish for you and your loved ones this holiday season.  May you find a moment or two to take a deep breath, smile a genuine smile (people around will think you’re either a) whacko, or b) up to something – let ‘em, it’s even funnier that way) and find a spark of joy in the moment.

Sincerely,

Mike Connolly