Happy

What is the happiest you've ever been? What's your definition of happy? Are you happy at least once every day?

If we're lucky, we get 90 plus years to be happy or make our happiness but unfortunately, 90 years isn't always given to everyone. My brother left this world for another one when he was 29 and I often wonder who much happiness he experienced in his 29 years. It doesn't take long for me to remember all the practical jokes he played, especially on Emily and Ryan, and the laughs we always shared when we were together. The Christmas after he passed away, Trouper, Ryan, Kyna and Shannon decided to carry on Bumper's practical joke legacy and rearrange Christmas decorations in my Mom's neighborhood, most in "naughty" poses. It was quite comical, although Mom was afraid she'd be fired from the neighborhood board association if her fellow neighbors knew her family were Christmas decoration hoodlums.

Recently, Emily said something to me that made me think about my own life. She said she wants to experience one moment of happiness a day. She didn't say she wants to live a happy life just that she wants one moment, one pure moment of happiness daily. At first, it made me a little sad to think she didn't want her days to be filled with happy but then I realized my daughter is a realist and even at 18 (she will be 19 next week) she understands that life isn't a bowl of cherries. Bad things happen to good people, sad times occur, and being happy 24/7 isn't realistic. In the end, that's what I want for all my friends and family; one genuinely happy moment everyday.

That doesn't mean we can't have exuberant moments of happiness. The ones that are so sweet they cause cavities. You might be wondering what this has to do with Trouper, since my blog is supposed to be about Super Trouper. One of my happiest, most delicious memories just happens to be one he experienced "when he was sleeping". I have asked him numerous times to write a blog entry about his experiences but he keeps resisting. I will let you know that his 9 days post heart attack "sleeping", he experienced or re-experienced different memories, ones throughout his life. Yes, he was fortunate enough to visit with loved ones who've left this earth, and I sometimes envy the time he got to spend with my jokester brother. I digress. He got to relive our visit to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney World. When Emily was 6 and Ryan was 10, we took a summer vacation to Orlando. Ryan, being a boy and a little older, wasn't that excited to visit Mickey and Company. He was over the moon happy we were going to visit GatorLand. Trust me, that was an adventure and I pray I never have to witness hundreds of Gator's fighting over some food again. My best memory, however, was when we entered the Magic Kingdom. We were already exhausted from fighting the crowds of people on the trains, hauling around backpacks in the sweltering Florida morning. When we entered the gates, we were in awe of the castle that stands in the background. Emily saw her first real life Princess and was in pure heaven. Ryan, however, was ready to leave and head back to the magical land of fighting gators. However, the carriage that had just dropped off the princess caught his attention. More over, the horse pulling the carriage caught his eye. He mentioned to us how pretty the horse was, and how big. Just then, as we all gazed at the horse, the massive animal relived himself. No, he didn't urinate, he pooped all over the ground. It was massive, and it smelled horribly. We laughed. All four of us until we cried. We had spent months anxiously anticipating our grand adventure and the moment we were about to experience what we thought was going to be pure joy, a horse took a crap. Almost like saying "welcome, this place isn't all it's cracked up to be". To this day, that memory, the moment all four of us laughed until we cried, stands out to me and makes me smile. I think of it often, and I guess Trouper does too. He dreamed of that moment, or he relived it, I'm not sure which but it's one that obviously brings him happiness.

So my friends, we don't all get 90 years of joy and happy but we do get happiness in this life. Sometimes it just takes some horse crap to make you happy.