I was about 8 years old when 'Happy' showed itself in tears, for the first time.
I was
at the Olympic Swim Club with my friend Kay, who was also 8 years
old. I recall that we weren’t allowed to
actually swim in the pool that day, because the club was hosting a “Little Miss
Olympic Contest.” Of course, I had no
clue what a pageant was or even that Kay’s mom had entered her in the
contest. I simply remember playing on
the ladder in the deep end and dipping my toes into the forbidden water as the
girls paraded down the diving board and back. Then a man’s voice came over the
loud speaker and announced that Kay was “Little Miss Olympic!” Suddenly, I was crying so much that my Mom
came rushing over to see if I had been injured. It took me by surprise because I didn’t KNOW why I was crying. Then, I realized that I was completely happy … for Kay.
I’m looking forward to feeling that kind of happy again this
weekend. My precious friend, Ladybug, is getting married. Ladybug and I became friends years ago, through
a church group. One of the first times
that we met over coffee, I remember her eyes filling with tears when she talked
about how lonely she was. A single mother of three boys, she’d been through
more than her share of hurdles and she was just about at the end of her rope. I
tried to encourage her to hang on … to trust that God had someone wonderful in
mind for her. Fast forward several years,
and here we are.
One day during the wedding planning process last year, she expressed
concern over the idea that maybe no one would show up for her big day. But I
knew better. People want more ‘happy.’
Seems like most of us are just trying to keep our heads above water on any given day. We deal with bills, car troubles, more bills,
taxes, illnesses and work. We’re overcommitted, overburdened and overly
exhausted. We no longer have to wait for
our daily dose of bad news from the 6 pm TV broadcasts, we get the doom and
gloom streamed to us on the radio, our phones, through Twitter, Facebook and a
myriad of other channels ... when all we really want is a little bit of ‘happy.’
Happiness is the package that comes with HOPE at its creamy,
sweet center. Some of us look for those magic glimpses of it in goosebump-producing
auditions on shows like X-Factor or American Idol. Sometimes we get a taste of it
when our kids achieve a milestone as a result of hard work. But overall, it can be pretty elusive. Add to that the fact that we are
egocentric beings and it becomes a rarity to REALLY feel completely happy for
someone else. ("When is it MY turn?!") I know I struggle with this kind of selfishness way, way too
much.
My Mama has a saying that goes like this, “They have to know
how much you care before they care how much you know.” And I KNOW that Ladybug cares for me. She’s
listened to me whine about stupid stuff many times. She’s loved me unconditionally
when I was at my worst (and I've had far too many of those days than I care to recount). She’s been my best friend in every sense of the
word. So I am over-the-moon with Happy
for her, this week. On Saturday, I’m going
to dance like a drunken fool and toast my precious friend, her new husband and
the fact that she finally has a big, well deserved, fistful of Happy!
