Wait. That's so not me. Imma dork. Sorry about that.
It's a guest post week and I've got a super cool, super supportive blogger here: Ms. Erica M. She is the head honcho over at the yeah write blogging community, which, as of late, has become a pretty big job. I wouldn't be surprised if she started charging membership fees!
Erica hasn't been doing much of her own blogging lately, but yes, she does write stuff too!
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Those of you who know me understand just how cynical I am when it comes to using the word happy. I kinda don't believe there is such a thing as happiness. Especially when my 3-year-old is screaming at me to pass him the iPad that is three inches from where he's throwing this stupid tantrum over how Mommy won't pass him the iPad. This is a crazy life we all lead, and I'm not equipped for happiness. I'm more equipped for contentment, peace and quiet. Things not going wrong.
So Jennifer, even though your badge says to get my happy on, I'mma get my eh-things-are-going-okay on instead. I'm a terrible guest.
Things that give me contentment, peace and quiet:
1. My husband Q even when he's driving me crazy trying to make me happy. He buys stuff, he fixes stuff, he judges blog contests. When I was in my late-twenties, I had a journal detailing a list of 11 things I wanted in a man. I met Q about 10 years after writing the list, and he was all 11 things on the list and more, including the sexin' parts. I love him more than anything.
2. Even at their loudest and most irritating, I really do find contentment in my children. I'd been expecting them since I was eight years old, even accidentally predicting I'd have one with special needs. I remember thinking to myself in elementary school how awful it would be for some mentally challenged kid to have a neglectful parent and I was all like: God, if you give me one of those kids, I'd be the best mom to that kid ever. Uh, thanks, God, for listening to an 8-year-old, I guess. I'd also like to win the lotto when it's convenient for you.
3. Having disposable income in the bank. This happens rarely, which could explain my grumpiness.
4. Knowing that even without disposable income, my family is really one of the fortunate ones. We have everything we need and everyone is healthy. I think about Jennifer's husband Mark often, and those thoughts take me back to my own experience with my then-infant daughter Jordan in the hospital when we didn't know if she was gonna live through the night nearly every night for a week. This may explain why I buy her everything she asks for and why we don't have any disposable income. She is currently on her 15th iPhone. Fifteenth. The iPhone has been in existence only since 2008, y'all. She loses, she breaks, she upgrades. I do fuss at her for not doing her laundry as often as I'd like. Does that count as discipline? Here's hoping.
5. Travel. Doesn't happen very often anymore. See #3. But there's nothing like taking off my shoes in the airport, having my $20 moisturizer tossed by some over-zealous security dude and purchasing those crappy in-flight earphones because my earbuds are incompatible with the plane's stupid audio system. I also enjoy landing safely since I always always think I'm on the flight that's gonna crash. Flying should be much better now that I've discovered Xanax.
6. Evening cocktails
7. Mid-morning cocktails
8. HBO. I love premium cable channels. They are my new books.
9. Yelling at sports teams through the TV with Q. The Houston Rockets went on their NBA championship run while Jordan was an infant, and my mom and I must have scared Jordan half to death for a week. I didn't find out for years that brain-injured kids can have a sensitivity to noise. Uh, sorry, moo-moo. (I call Jordan moo-moo. Don't judge)
10. Writing. When I get the chance. It used to be short stories, then it was essays, now it's intros to weekly blogging challenges, but writing is writing, right?
Thanks, Jennifer, for having me. Many many blessings to you, Mark and your family.
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I may not know Erica personally, but I get the feeling she IS happy, and just doesn't wanna jinx it. In fact, I think I'm a genius for asking her to be a guest for TGIF, and making her think about things that make her "content".
Who agrees with me?
You can find Erica at yeah write, and on Twitter, here and here.
Write up some HAPPY, grab the button and link up!
