Protected Happiness
To the little boy that sold happiness over 6 years ago, thank you. I doubt you will ever hear this message but if for unbeknownst way the social media gods work their magic and this letter finds its way to you….I want to express my gratitude:
Dear Little Boy (It’s true, I don’t even know your name),
You didn’t know how your happiness would stick with me. That day you were selling happiness at your family’s farmstand I was camping with a group of close friends and one gentleman, one of my dear friends, purchased all of your happiness stones. He handed me on of your stones, and he stated, "Here- happiness." You didn’t know your happiness would show up just when I needed it most-over 6 years later.
You see I kept your stone. That small stone with a smiley face sticker put a smile on my face too. Over the course of time I kept that happiness with me, it traveled all over the country, PA, MD, MI, IL, WI, etc. the list could go on. It stuck with me in graduate school, during presentations, internships, work, moves, tears, stress, finding a job, prayers, funerals, exams and as life would have it-happiness stayed with me.
While moving and going through a challenging transition in my life I had packed up all of my belongings and placed them in a storage room. For almost two years I never opened one of those bins because I was not ready to face the reminders of those items. Through feeling the pressure from others I recently opened up those bins, and I pulled out each item. There was no more happiness when I touched each item. Happiness had been sucked right out of these items as pulled each out one by one in a pile for donation.
I knew there was this one bin, a blue bin with a green lid that I liked to call my “treasure bin.” This bin contained items that were personal to me. Inside was a rosary when I was at the Vatican, a soccer scarf from Italy, my wooden drawing figure, a cube from the Andy Warhol museum, pictures of my family, my cross from my First Communion, my race bibs, a small St. Anne’s statue, a change purse from my sister in South Korea, a gift from a friend who had gone to Spain, and my first thank you card from my first Art Therapy group. There was also another box inside that I had from graduate school collaged with the theme: "my journey.” Inside that box laid a variety of items and inside the box in the corner protected by some soft material-I found your stone-I found happiness. I picked up your stone turned it in my hand and saw that sticker smiling right at me. I had forgotten I buried happiness. Not only did I just buried it, but I protected it in my treasure box tucked and hidden away.
You and I didn’t know your happiness would show up at a time I needed it. I could not have predicted this moment or imagine writing a letter to a complete stranger I never even met. But I am thankful for you.
What I learned, happiness is precious, and it was one thing I was ensure to keep protected. Sure, happiness still existed within me, but sometimes I lose sight of it too, I don’t see it, and I don’t feel it. Perhaps in my case because it was protected for just the right time and buried in my treasure box waiting to be discovered like gold. Imagine, much to my surprise in my treasure box I found happiness-more valuable than gold. So yes, it’s true I can’t even address this letter to a name, because I never met you so I all I have is a thank you-and a bit of hope by some miracle some day this message may find its way to you. If not then I suppose this letter can act as a seed to plant happiness as a reminder in others to spread, share and grow.
For now, thank you for happiness.
Sincerely,
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