Another Happy

There were some definite ups and downs today, but because I set myself the task of noting a happy moments, the day has a more positive glow about it than it would otherwise.

All in all, I'd have to say my favorite "happy" of this day was a brief few minutes I had with R this afternoon.  There was nothing unusual about it.  Four days a week I leave to take L to dance just before R gets home from school.  So I usually call him on my way back home just to touch base.  We have a script we follow, and every day it sounds exactly like this:

"Hey bud, how you doin'?"
"Fine."
"How was school?"
"Good."
"What happened today?"
"Nothin'."

The beauty of mother-son bonding.  Sometimes I have errands to run, but usually I head back home for more bonding of the same variety.  About once a week the script is lengthened by a few seconds:

"Did you get something to eat?"
"No.  What can I eat?"
"Well, you can make a turkey sandwich or nachos. There are pizza rolls and corn dogs in the freezer."
"Will you bring me McDonald's?"

For the record, he has never made himself a turkey sandwich after school.  But being a mom I persist in suggesting it;  it is such a reasonable choice.  By McDonald's he means a McDouble and a strawberry shake.

So today was a McDouble day.  I walked in with his sandwich and shake, and we had about 15 minutes of completely meaningless banter.  I think I pointed out the amazing difference in price per ounce if one buys a larger bottle of perfume versus a small bottle.  He was duly impressed and countered with advice on the best knife to use when sizing down a shake cup so the dog can get his muzzle all the way to the bottom of the cup.  We discussed the best gym membership option for me and T, especially given that neither of us has made it to the gym yet this year.  And we ended our time together playing a silly game of "What'd you say?", asking each other to repeat him/herself for no good reason at all except to win a smile for silliness. Completely inane but gently amusing, and  somehow it worked with the rhythm of the moment, causing my heart to swell with happy.

There were other happy moments today.  I found a beautiful party dress for L to wear to the Daddy-Daughter dance this Saturday for $12 at a consignment shop.  She is only 80% pleased with it, but for $12, who could beat it?  That was a happy!  I went to the dentist, had a cleaning and a repair job done and nothing hurt.  That was a happy!  I had a fun conversation with my sister on the car ride home from the dentist.  And the sun was out and the sky was blue.  Happy, happy!  I created a yummy jambalaya-type concoction for dinner because I had nothing else prepared, and everyone liked it.  Happy.   

But those few moments with my R stand out as the best of the day.  He is a quiet kid, a still-waters-run-deep kind of kid.  When T is home, the TV is on, L is chattering away, the pressures of dinner, homework, and various chores consume our attention, he can easily fade into the background.  Even when I'm alone with him, he's not quick to volunteer his thoughts.

So I cherish those moments of connection, of eye contact, smiles and light hearts, of affable interaction. Today, he was my happy.

Happy Moment Project

So, in spite of my quasi-bashing of the Happiness Project book a post of two ago, I'm becoming a disciple.  My sister has an idea she's implementing from her journey through the Happiness Project that I think is just a stroke of genius! Every night before she hops into bed she is taking the time to think through what the happiest moment of the day was, and writing it down.  Just a line or two.  But what a fantastic discipline!  First of all, it forces us to remember that, no matter how heavy our burdens seemed that day, there was a happy moment.  It forces us to dwell on it, even if just for a minute or two, and be thankful.  Additionally, it will allow us to see a pattern in what makes us happy, and that pattern, I'm guessing, may surprise us in the end!

So what was my happy moment for today?  It had to be the 30 minutes in the hot tub with the family (T and the younger two kids, R and L).  It was cold enough that the boards of the deck creaked as we walked on them, the sky was clear and full of stars, and we were all relaxed, talking about nothing, just being together.  Oliver was alternately playing in the snow or under the deck, and then coming up to nuzzle someone's neck or lick an arm.  We discussed which hot tub light color we liked best and why, deciding ultimately that red and blue were the favorites.  R ran out into the snow for a bit just for the thrill of coming back into the warm tub.  We discussed that although the challenge of making a snow angel in a wet bathing suit might sound fun, it would not be advisable with all the poop accumulating in the yard right now!  And we saw who could lift their straight legs furthest out of the water while seated.  That was probably the most important issue at hand.  It was a happy moment!