It is springtime and that makes me happy! There’s nothing like a long winter (or a late winter) to make spring feel amazing!
Speaking of happy, I recently flew to Oakland, CA for a one-day meeting and on the way back to the airport, I got to talking to the Uber driver who seemed to be a happy fellow.
He said he had been in the US for a little over a year and a half and he loved his job as he never gets tired of driving. He even likes to take long road trips on his time off.
He immigrated to the US from Nepal. (If you are like me and aren’t up on your geography, it is the country that has part of Mount Everest in it.) He volunteered that there are lots of Buddhists in his country, but he wasn’t one.
When I asked him what he was, he replied, “Hindu. Well, I am actually no religion. I was raised Hindu so that is why I call myself that, but I work around all religions and they are all the same. None are better than any other. They are all looking out for themselves.”
He went on to say that he didn’t believe in heaven or anything after this life and that heaven is now. He also said he had left his wife and daughter in Nepal and missed them but was here to build a better future for his daughter.
“Aren’t you giving up your heaven for your daughter?” I asked. “Oh, no!” he replied. “My heaven is to work for my daughter.”
I think he understood that I wasn’t quite buying what he was selling, and he kept trying to clarify while I mostly just listened.
We agreed that most people not acting as their religion says they should are probably just religious in name and not in heart. At least in the Bible there is much warning against saying and not doing. The blessing is when you say and do.
So, while I believe that happiness is a byproduct and a choice (not a destination), I am feeling quite happy about spring today!
Speaking of happy, early last summer my kids finally convinced us to get a couple kittens. We were told they were both male, which was a bit of a disappointment as the kids thought baby kittens in the future would be fun.
Terrance and Paige named them Kai and Garmadon. They have been growing up and as the long winter went on with not much for them to do but eat and sleep, they both began to put on a few extra pounds. But little by little we noticed that Garmadon was really putting on the weight.
In fact, we were starting to get a bit worried as it looked like he had swallowed a hole nest of mice and never digested them. The kids laughed about it until one day, as he was really looking huge, it hit me. Maybe the “he” was actually a she.
A quick check of the theory proved that a name change might be in order as our fat boy cat turned out to be a momma cat about to deliver kittens. Sure enough! We now have five new kittens in our family and one happy and proud Garmadon.
So far, Kai has been pretty understanding of the whole thing, even curling up next to them to help keep them warm. To say the least, my kids (especially my daughters) are quite delighted by this surprising turn of events! It’s funny how sometimes when we have one point of view locked into our brain, it’s easy to miss what’s right in front of our eyes!
I wish you all a happy spring! And remember, happiness is available. Please help yourself to it!
