Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Monday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face. The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of maintaining a permanent Democratic majority. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. Consider this an open thread.
So here I am, on my 3,096 draft of Got a Happy Story. There have been so many great editions with fantastic writing and great heart warming happy stories. My husband, who had been out of work since the end of July, just got a long term job so there's my story, right? Well, there's not much more to it, but it got me thinking. It is interesting how things that we sometimes take for granted, like a job, can become extraordinary. Yesterday, something scary happened that made finding a happy story a breeze.
My 9 year old son was making his loft bed, stepped back too far, tumbled off of the back, and landed on his head on the hardwood floor. He is completely fine, but for a little bit we were both scared, me probably more so. Of course,I felt so scared when I thought that he was hurt, but once his bump shrunk and he was running around as usual, I felt so grateful to have him and his 8 year old sister.
I never really thought much about having kids. I got married when I was 29, and then lived in a fabulous apartment in a fabulous neighborhood in Chicago. I had a career that I liked, and didn't know one person with children. I never used to babysit as a teenager, and kids seemed kind of loud and messy. We worked and went out to dinner and spoiled our cats, not ever considering "interrupting" our lives with the chaos having children would certainly bring. Well, three years later I did wind up pregnant (ironically my insurance would not cover birth control pills but had no problem paying $10,000 for a baby), and I was scared but excited. My pregnancy was great - and people are so nice to you when you are pregnant! After he was born, of course I was amazed at everything about him, and changed my work schedule so that he could be always with a family member. He was beautiful and sweet and funny.
Fifteen months later, his sister was born, and she too was beautiful and sweet and funny. I stopped working after she was born, and entered a whole new world of the "stay at home mom". I cooked from scratch and read books and played with play-doh and I loved every second of it. We went on little field trips, and I taught them what things are; they taught me to appreciate the things.
Or course they are in school now, but every day they make me laugh and help me notice things that I wouldn't have noticed. It becoming so fun to have conversations with them that I would have with a friend, and they are so smart and thoughtful and creative. I love them so much and am so proud of them, but I don't always take the time to appreciate their preciousness.
They make me happy!