Life is like snow tubing. Well, sort of.

The kids run up to the lift area where they step onto the moving sidewalk, holding the strap of the tube and the tube pulling up the rear. Carefree, they are taken to the top of the slope where they run to lane, and sit on the tube. The attendant spins them and gives them a huge shove and everyone watches while they speed down the hill spinning and laughing. When they get to the bottom, they run back to the lift area and start again.

The adults watch and worry that the straps from the kids’ tubes will trip another kid. Careful, they say. They trudge to the lift area where they manage the children – watching closely that they don’t cut in line or knock some smaller child over. They get on the moving sidewalk, careful to get well-balanced. It’s a long trip up. Careful not to get too distracted by the beautiful view, they oversee their charges. At the top of the hill, they look around to see which lanes will have the shortest wait. They negotiate with the children about who will go down in pairs, threes, and alone. If they are needed as a partner, so be it. If not, alone is fine. They push themselves off and down the hill they go.

I’m not saying that the adults don’t have fun. I, personally, had a blast. But as the day went on, I couldn’t help but think about the responsibility and the bigger picture. Sure it’s okay to have fun. But I had to be ever vigilant. Be sure the kids were accounted for. And safe. Be sure their hats stayed on their heads. That their feet were warm.

It’s more work to have fun than it used to be. You know, way back before kids. Come to think of it, it’s just more work. Period.

In my cookie…

Two fortunes in ONE cookie. I think it’s a good omen.
Today? First tubing. Then this. Life is good.

Going to a meeting.

We’re heading to an offsite meeting today (wink, wink). I’m sure the mental stimulation will give me lots to write about. (seriously, I’ll write soon!)

It’s hard to work.

If you saw this outside your office window, wouldn’t you find it hard to work?

(We got less than 2″ of snow and yet, they are having a wonderful time!)

Groupie.

Every rocker needs a groupie, yes?

I know the video I put up was pretty awful, but it doesn’t diminish the wonderful time and great memories. Andrew on stage like a real rocker. Well, all except the thumbs up thing. What’s up with that? Yikes.

That’s okay. He’s Axl Rose to me.

On being happy.

I’m happy.

I’ve thought a lot about that in recent weeks. Why? Because there are people in my life – people who are important to me – who are not happy. For a few of them, I can honestly say that there are some serious circumstances that would cause just about anyone to be unhappy. And even moreso, for some it seems that the sitch is on a shit sandwich with crap in between. You know, piles of bad things stacked up. Kind of like a bad situation club sandwich.

There are others whose problems or worries are real, but the people in question give these problems (challenges?) super-life by stressing and overthinking and analyzing them under a microscope.

And then there are the few who find problems that barely exist.

So I wonder. Why am I happy?

I have problems, too. Some big. Some serious. Some small and insignificant. In reality, there is at least one thing every day that could make me nuts. (or more nuts.)

And admittedly, there are days when I can’t get past something and I’m stressed out or overwhelmed or just plain worried. It happens.

But most of the time, I’m happy. In spite of the not so great things. Because of the oh so great things.

Maybe I’m just wired this way. Maybe I really just do see the bright side more often than not. Maybe I really am Little Mary Sunshine.

I don’t feel superior, I feel lucky.

Andrew sent me an article the other day that said MRI scans showed that Matthieu Ricard, 60, a French academic-turned-Buddhist monk, and other long-term meditators – who had completed more than 10,000 hours each – experienced a huge level of “positive emotions” in the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain, which is associated with happiness. The right-hand side, which handles negative thoughts, is suppressed. It fascinated me.

And I went looking for more answers. I found this article, The Keys to Happiness, and Why We Don’t Use Them. Author and researcher Gregg Easterbrook is quoted as saying, “It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don’t make it.” I don’t know if I buy it.

David Lykken, a research with the Univeristy of Minnesota says that happiness is 50 percent genetic. Most in the field agree that what you do with the other half depends on a person’s will. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

So, if you know me, you know that I’ve now read slews of articles about this subject. I don’t always know when to stop. I am curious. What I’ve learned is that many people agree that being kind, forgiving others, being grateful, taking care of yourself, building and maintaining relationships, and thinking positively lead to happiness. Or at least to more happiness.

And yet, a University of Illinois psychologist’s research shows that most people are slightly to moderately happy, not unhappy. But where are the very happy people? Are there really that few?

That surprises me.

I guess I really am Little Mary Sunshine.

Got the blues?

The new blogger is still not working with embedded Youtube videos. Ugh. But I had to share the music from Scott’s party last night. The Low Expectations had their world premier! And they had some special guest, too…

Check out the post at Just One…

Seriously, you have to see Andrew singing Gimme Three Steps. Really, you have to.

What was I thinking?