Happiness
[Brought to you by the weekly SS blog challenge.]

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The challenge:
"Happiness comes from the capacity to
feel deeply,
to enjoy simply,
to think freely,
to risk life,
to be needed."
-Storm Jameson

Your assignment is simple. Take all or part of this quote, and let it inspire you. Write about where you find happiness. What is your strongest capacity? Your weakest? Write about people you know who excel at each of the points mentioned in the quote. Tell about someone you know whose inability to live out any one of the points has kept them from happiness.

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I wouldn't say I consider myself to be a "happy" person. When I think of happy people, I think of the Jack Russell Terriers of the human world. You know the ones who are perpetually cheerful, always have a smile, always seem upbeat. This isn't me. On the other hand, I'm not a Basset Hound either.

I know both types of people. My aunt, who really isn't an aunt but who has been a family friend since long before my birth and so seems like one, is the always happy type. She's such a pleasure to be around. She's not bouncy, but she's always cheerful and positive. My mother, on the other hand, is the perpetually down type. She has occasional good days but, on the average, she's a drag. She can find the negative in any situation. There it is. I said it. Quite often, being with her brings me down.

Now, here's the thing. The aunt has had more than her share of tragedy in her life. She lost a daughter at age 17, a son at age 32, a grandson at age 12 (all from accidents) and her husband a few years ago. Mom has lost no one except her mother who was 85 at the time. You could say that the aunt has no reason to be happy, and yet she is. And mom has no reason to be unhappy, but she is. I have no idea why. Trust me, I wish I did. The aunt just has some internal fortitude that mom was born without.

Me? I'm somewhere in the middle. I can be moody. But at least I have the ups to go with the downs.

"Happiness comes from the capacity to
feel deeply,
... Sometimes this is what makes me unhappy. I feel the bad things, even the little bad things, too deeply at times. But I tend to feel the little good things deeply, too.

to enjoy simply,
... This, I do. Sometimes very basic things make my heart swell with happiness - a gorgeous sky, the sight of a little, red fox crossing the road in front of me, listening to my kids laugh.

to think freely,
... My tendency to do this probably brings unhappiness to others at time. Chiefly, my husband.

to risk life,
... I think I risked a lot when I chose to leave the stability of a 14-year job to become a stay-at-home-mom. And that has brought me much happiness.

to be needed."
... I'm a wife and mother. 'Nuff said.

I guess I'm content to be a middle grounder. I'll never know the ease of being always happy, but I may enjoy the happy times more for having been through the non-happy ones.