Happiness and coming home

Consider this.

I have a couple of friends (okay, one is more an acquaintance) that I went to high school with that recently moved back to our small town. The very same small town that when we were younger, we complained about non-stop. The very same small town that we all said we were done with when we graduated.

First the acquaintance. I want to say he was living in Ohio. Someplace cold. He has a wife, and kids, and a good job. But his family is here (and the weather is miserable). So he moves his family back. He takes a job at Circle K that he enjoys. He is close to his parents, the weather doesn't suck ass, and he is happy.

Now the friend. My age, single, no children. Attended Duke University. Got a job after graduation, teaching at Duke University. But ... her family is here. She goes back and forth for a bit. Eventually resigns. Moves back permanently, gets a job making custom hats, and loves working with her hands instead of her head (her words). And she gets to spend time with her parents. She is happy.

I realize I'm using the word "happy" as a sweeping generalization, but still. What conclusions can be drawn?

I'm getting older. I feel, maybe, just maybe, I'm getting wiser. My mental musings continue to chip away at the illusion of unlimited time, and my perspective on life, happiness and enlightenment has evolved to something I never thought possible. I think I've figured out what is important to me, at least, and what isn't. In a nutshell: Money isn't. Power isn't. Career isn't. Sex isn't. Possessions (even manga collections) ... no. It's the people in your life that are important. I think happiness comes from sharing something with another person, be it a smile with a stranger, a conversation with a friend, or an embrace with a loved one. Those connections remind us we are not alone, and make our struggle less so.

I'm sounding like a fucking Hallmark made-for-TV movie. It might all be bullshit. But I'm starting to believe that I believe it. So either way, it's a win-win.

J.L. Dodd

“Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are." --Henry Van Dyke

"Happiness is spiritual, born of truth and love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." --Mary Baker Eddy

Links:

http://www.keepinspiring.me/quotes-about-being-happy/#ixzz4IyNCQf7c

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_happiness6.html