Lost the car key found the key to my happiness

Have you ever had a day where nothing went as planned? Have you ever became so worked up over something minor that you had to talk yourself down from an emotional high, or maybe I should say emotional low?  That was my day on Monday.  My husband left for work and I had the boys fed and ready to rush out the door to school and work when I discovered that my car key was missing. 30 minutes later, I still couldn't find them. Searched the entire house, climbed on chairs, rummage through toy boxes, looked under sofas and even went outside to peer through the tinted window of the car. No keys. The kids, feeling my anxiety were getting cranky, the extra key is with my hubby 60 miles away and I am living in a new city with very few friends to call. Taxi to work and school would be about $30 and no child seat for the boys. The main road is about a 20 minute walk away and public transportation is practically non-existent. I started feeling overwhelmed and had a funny thought "if no tears fall, is it actually crying?" I took a deep breath and "centered" myself. 

Now that I can see and think clearly I had a great idea - walk the kids to school and then get a ride to work with a friend a few hours later. Problem solved. It began to rain. Called my husband who thankfully simply sympathized. 

Better idea! I have a bag full of lemons; boys do you want some lemonade?  Why not relax, take the morning off and have a leisurely morning with the kids. We had more breakfast, we played with cars, we listened to music and before we knew it it had stopped raining. Gathered the boys and we turned a 15 minute walk to school into a 30 minute leisurely stroll. We stopped under every tree to hide from the sun, picked up rocks and sticks, strolled along the pond and made it to school late and hot but blissfully happy. As I dropped the boys off, I thought "wow, what a wonderful morning!" I didn't get to work until 2p.m. but work is not the most important thing that I do everyday. Losing the key reminded me to focus on what is really important; my heart is happy.

But Will it Make You Happy

Image via Wikipedia

"New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses. Attached is a NYT article about what makes up really happy." 


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html


All the material things make me happy in the short term. It is instant gratification. Buying a nice dress that I don't really need, looking at a bigger house, the concept of a great big screen TV....all gives us that feeling of excitement. That feeling is often mixed with a sense in the pit of our stomachs that this new toy is too expensive or that the money would be more wisely invested in the retirement fund or the kids college fund.  I am far from perfect at this; we all chase what we perceive as happiness.  However, we can all try to identify what really makes us happy in our souls and channel our energy towards that purpose. Most often we will find that it is not a thing that money can buy.  Playing in the backyard with the kids, walking on the beach or even looking at a beautiful photo of the beach, a peaceful afternoon nap, writing a free blog, catching up with an old friend, watching the kids discover something new, are all things that make me blissfully happy.