All that make me happy…
In a world of ups and downs, I just want to take a moment to capture some of the things that make me happy. Most days, just watching the sunrise and watching the sunset makes my heart happy. I am writing this for the difficult days when I need to be brought back to the appreciation of the extraordinary life that I am living.
What makes me happy? My oldest son is at college on an elite full academic merit scholarship. He has a job he loves, and he is getting a double major in math and computer science and completing his honors degree AND getting to take some fun classes along the way. He maxes out his Roth IRA every year. He is saving money in college instead of going into debt. He is intelligent and most importantly, he is happy.
What makes me happy? My youngest son is well adjusted. He enjoys spending time with us. Most teenagers want nothing to do with their parents. Little Chirp his quite the opposite. His passions are not the typical Texas boy passions – he loves bowling, intellectual conversations, food, and he is excited about getting a job. His passions are his passions. As an added bonus, he is second in his class of 825+ students.
What makes me happy? I have two children that deeply love one another. They root for each other; they have each other’s backs. I never mind being the third wheel with the Storey brothers.
What makes me happy? I have the coolest little nephew in the world, and he has the best-est parents. I love hearing his voice on the phone, “hi Aunt Amber”.
What makes me happy? I have the sweetest little snuggle, purr, kill moles in the yard, kitty in the world, and a dog named Potatoe, and a cat that was not expected to live beyond a year that protects and leads all of the cats in the neighborhood. Last but not least, I have Chewey, who reminds me of what an atypical cat is like, but not in a bad way.
What makes me happy? I have a good paying job, and I work with freaking amazing people.
What makes me happy? I have this unique little house that I can easily afford on a fraction of the money that I make. My oldest son makes enough right now to afford my house, that is how inexpensive it is. This special place is surrounded by incredible neighbors.
What makes me happy? I have a hobby that I am super passionate about that could realistically pay all of my bills in retirement, without touching my retirement fund.
What makes me happy? I have friends that would do anything for me. Yvonne, Kristen, Kat, Hannah, and Kelly are incredible people. Most people have one such friend in a lifetime, and I have all of them. I also have so many people, like Rhea and Tasnim, rooting for me, even if I do not spend as much time with them.
On the last day of February, I ended things for good with my “on and off again” significant other. I decided to refocus my time and energy on the things that are really important to me. I woke up on March 1st ready for a new beginning. I am in the process of refocusing and reclaiming my happiness. It is a process. I am extremely grateful for my sister’s unexpected help through all of this. Perhaps my sister and I are more like the Storey brothers than I realized these past few months.
I have that Whitesnake song, “Here I go again on my own,” playing in my mind. But, in reality I have been on my own for a while now. I knew things were not working out with my significant other. We were down to the only safe topic of conversation being the weather. Yet, in reality, I have never really been on my own; I was simply isolating myself from those that have always been there for me. I have my children, my sister, my friends, my neighbors, my coworkers, and my fur kids. Now, I am free to spend time with them without guilt or stupid accusations of infidelity.
I am grateful for my life. I need to be sure that I do not lose sight of what matters to me, and I need to not let things in the past or things outside of my control pull me down. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Cheers to new beginnings!