Happiness is....

I have often wondered if I am happy. Not just a having a good day happy, or finding twenty dollars in my pocket happy, but honestly happy. So I picked up my newest book (I'll post on that in my "Nightstand" page.) and decided to start digging. It seems to me that yes, indeed I am happy. So now it was time to take stock of this happiness. First off I happen to be married to my best friend. He is without a doubt the best thing to happen to me. Next I have a amazing family. They are always there when I need them (and even when I don't.) I have a dog and a cat who love me no matter what mood I am in. But these things are given. Most of us have friends/family/ significant others/ kids/ pets that make us happy. So then I started to look at the little things that make me happy. My fridge and my pantry are full. That might not seem like alot, but in this economy I am thankful that I have plenty of food to eat. Which leads to the next thing that makes me happy, grocery shopping with my coupons. I work hard at it (couponing) and it pays off for me and the hubby. It is a small victory for me every time I go to know that I am saving 50-75 percent. My job...okay maybe I'm not happy everyday I am at work, but again I am thankful to have it. I lost my last job on New Year Day. I sat on unemployment for all of January. That was a horrible time for me. My confidence was shot, I slept all day and was depressed when I was awake. Turns out I need the social interaction I get from work (even if I am having a bad day). My car makes me happy too. I love the way the speakers light up, and even though the payment kills me once a month, it is nice to know that I have a safe, reliable mode of transportation. I could go on but it would take along time. So now I wonder, if I have all these things then why are there days when I am not happy at all. And the answer hit me, because I am a normal adult who has bad days. So now I am starting to realize that I need to take (and keep) stock of all I have that makes me happy. Even the smallest things like a stack of coupons that have yet to be cut, a small brown dog that wants me to chase her around the couch or a kitchen that has somehow managed to stay really clean for two weeks. Maybe that is what happiness is...not the big things, or the surprise things, but all the little things in our lives that mean something to us. Even if they would mean nothing to someone else...