Finding Happiness in this Stressful World

Published on Monday, July 13, 2009 by Katherine

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I couldn’t sleep last night.  I was tossing and turning with my mind racing.  How will I pay for the high school text books this year? When does that big tuition check arrive for the elementary school?  How can I raise that $600 I need to make the appointment for my daughter’s dental surgery?  Tomorrow I have to go to work after being off for so long.  Will the kids be OK?  Will they miss me as much as I will miss them?  We have gymnastics Tuesday. Wait! There is a family cookout that night! Oh no, and we have to make it to the school library before all that! But I am working! There is more but I will spare you. 

I finally gave up and got out of bed, showered and sat in front of the computer with my strong black coffee, pondering.  Sometimes I think I was born too late.  I would have thrived as a 50’s housewife, taking care of the children, cooking dinner for my husband, going to Mass on Sunday.  Things were less complicated.  There was no internet.  The children could play outside in front, only coming in when the street lights turned on.  I would have time to keep the house clean and organize things. I could learn how to sew and knit more than all the silly scarves I’ve done. 

But this is 2009.  So I opened Facebook to see what messages I missed while tossing and turning.  Sure enough, there was a message from a cousin I haven’t seen in over ten years.  I had told him I was stressed about returning to work and going back to the same old grind.  After writing a bit about what he was up to, he left these wise words for me.  “And don’t worry about going back to work. Hold onto the state of mind for how ever many days you can muster. And it won’t be many or close to enough! Have fun where you find it…”

Have fun where you can find it.  Yes, those are indeed wise words.  We all have so many responsibilities, so little money and even less time.  We truly have to have fun where we can find it.  Today I am trying to live by these words.  And I plan to keep it up for as long as I can.  I’ve given extra smiles in the elevator, I’ve counted EVERY blessing I have (like a job for 20 years at a wonderful children’s hospital, like three healthy kids, like an amazing Mom that is truly the other part of me, like an incredible getaway I can go to every weekend, like food in the freezer and a bed to sleep in…)

When I get home, I plan to get in my summer play clothes and take my daughter outside with a blanket.  I will find a good backyard spot and I plan to do “Miss Mary Mack” with her until I completely mess it up.  Then I will take the dog and the kids on a walk – not sure who will have the leash on.  A good round of hide and seek may be in order as well.  Honestly, have you TRIED playing that as an adult?  It is a BLAST!

So today, my friends, follow my cousin’s advice.  Have fun where you can find it.  Laugh at yourself.  Short-sheet a bed.  Try your child’s Slip ‘n Slide.  Stop at the gumball machine and get a temporary kid tattoo.  Go for a bike ride to a neighborhood you haven’t ridden in before.  And when you are at home, look around and count your blessings.  Have fun where you can find it.