I listened to a segment on NPR today about happiness. Does admitting that I listen to NPR mean I'm an old fogey now? Dang. Anyway, the guest on the show was ticking off different things that research speculates makes a person happy - relationships, nature, commitment to a greater good, etc. Listening to the show made me a little paranoid. I was like, "Am I happy? I think I'm happy. But what did he say makes folks happy? Do I do that? Maybe I'm not happy. Oh no, could I be unhappy?"
I did a little google tour to see what I could see on the subject. Which led me to a couple of "Are You Happy?" quizzes. I kind of felt like I was guiltily filling out a survey in 17 Magazine. As I was zipping through my answers, I thought, "This is ridiculous. I know I'm happy." And here is why I think I'm happy.
Today I dropped a friend off at the airport at the city an hour away from me. I had my 4 month old, 2 year old and 3 year old with me. On the way home the gas light went on with 15 miles to go. I thought I'd make it easy. And then I got to my exit and it was closed for repairs. Who closes an entire busy exit for repairs when the next exit isn't for 5 miles and it leaves you in the middle of nowhere!? I felt my blood thin and start hustling through my veins. I had 3 kids in the car, my husband 300 miles away, my little boy coming home from kindergarten and it was a rainy, cold day. It was no time for being out of gas on the side of the road. The pleas to heaven went up immediately. And I made it. I made it the five miles to the exit and probably another five to a gas station in the closest town. My heart stopped flittering. I filled up to 19.6 gallons in my 20 gallon tank and was ready to get on my way with just enough time to get home for my little boy. I pushed "no" for the receipt for my gas and went to get in the car. And it was locked. I have no idea how I did it, but my kids and my keys were in the car and I wasn't. I stomped my feet in the rain like a toddler for a minute. Then I went into the gas station and called a locksmith.
"What Marathon station? The one across from Ryan's? Ok, I'll be there in two minutes."
Yeah, whatever. What locksmith comes in two minutes?
He came in two minutes.
He got my car unlocked pretty quick. And then he asked for forty bucks. I almost asked if he wanted my first born too. But he did come in just a couple of minutes, so I didn't. Not a child in the car woke up through the whole ordeal and I got home with enough time to get snacks for everyone before Captain Kindergarten came home.
So here's why I think I'm happy. I could have looked at the whole experience and thought I'm unlucky - running out of gas, my exit being closed, my car magically locking me out, being out forty bucks. But I see myself as lucky - I didn't run out of gas, the locksmith came quick, the kids slept through it, my kindergartner never knew he was in danger of coming home to an empty house.
I was telling my husband, with plenty of pride, that this story proved that I'm happy because I saw myself as lucky instead of unlucky. And he laughed and said, "You ARE lucky."
I laughed and admitted, "I am lucky."
"You know, it's better to be lucky than to be good."
Today, I'm totally going to agree with him.
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