What makes a person truly happy

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.  ~ Tom Bodett

Originally posted 2018

The picture I’ve posted at the top of the post might seem at odds with the title of the post.  You see that picture was taken as part of the Elf on the Shelf madness that one of my sister’s does for her kids.  A couple of years ago the elves took a trip and left New York to come out to Uncle Mike’s house in California.  So this picture was one of the series of photos I sent back as part of that little holiday event.

I love kids, and although I don’t have any of my own, I do have seven, soon to be eight nieces and nephews ranging in ages from minus 6 months to 16.  This year for the first time in several years I was able to visit all of them during the holidays.  This involved staying with one of my sibling’s family, and alternately enjoying and teasing her three kids into near insanity.

I also had the pleasure of playing Santa on Christmas Eve at my other sister’s house for her two kids who she really deeply wants to believe they still believe in Santa.  My niece made eye contact with me and immediately knew it was me.  Didn’t take my nephew long to figure it out either but they were good kids and played along so that their younger cousin got to see Santa on Christmas Eve.

Finally yesterday, I got to spend part of the day with my littlest nephews, about to be three and about to be five.  I love really little kids, they haven’t started to develop the filters and concerns most of us carry around, their imaginations are still fully in tact. So when you hang with them you get unexpected truth and honesty, pure and true reaction and emotion and I get to be my true age, four.  So everything this is possible, like tree knocking brachyasaurus tails, Christmas tree camouflaged velociraptors, and  games like dinosaurs versus Lego trucks.  There is also a profusion of monkey feet attacks, tickle assaults and discussions of excavators and cranes. Honestly, I don’t think there is more stress free, enjoyable and happy time for me than hanging out with toddlers.

These are the things that makes us truly happy, not the things we buy or possess, but the experiences we have.  I pretty regularly advocate for you to have positive experiences and get out of your comfort zones.  I talk a lot about big adventures and trips but I wanted to take a few minutes tonight to remind you that I also advocate pretty heavily for the simple positive experiences as well, playing dinosaurs with toddlers, taking some time to read or listen to music or a nice long walk in nature.

Picture purposely blurry to protect our identities, 🙂

My time with these tiny folks is about up, I’ll be back on the road in a couple of days.  But it’s a really wonderful way to wrap up the year, I hope you are doing the same and having happy days as we end 2018 my friends. ~ Rev Kane