During the A to Z challenge, (is that a spelling Bee? :) Rebecca Bradley posted a list of five ways to be happy here.
She then happily decided to meme others.
Annalisa Crawford was very sweet to pass it forward last week.
Annalisa, you made me happier than a broke Irishman in a Friday night bar crowd who discovers (at last call) a forgotten $20. (His happiness is tempered as he ponders three things – for he may choose only one.) Another few pints; a taxicab… or a battered sausage, curry chicken pie and a staggeringly long, (but full) walk home.
(I'll wait while the non-Yorkshire readers figure that out :)
Anyhow, here’s how the Happy Meme works:
Offer a shout out to the Happy One who tagged you.
Then, list my five happy ways.
Tag five more.
I'm tagging some of the happiest people I know:
Martin WilloughbyMorgan Shamy
Johanna Garth
Mark Means
Tammy Theriault
For *my* five choices, I’m skipping family and Hawaii - I know how blessed I am to have them – and be here.)
However, after a few hours of research and many tears (thanks Annalisa!), here’s five things and a related YouTube clip for each one) that always render me happier than a pig in fresh poop:
- People watching at an airport arrivals lounge.
Especially when it's a service member returning from deployment who spots
and greets their loved ones.
- Driving across the United
States.
On my journeys I:
·
Rode
a 1984 Pontiac Sunbird convertible, my first car, from Key West, Fla., to
Orlando, and later moved to Chicago, Ill.
·
Relaxed
in a new Mustang GT while I drove from Chicago to Newport Beach, Calif. Stopped
for speeding once, I got a $50 ticket from a cop in the Navajo jurisdiction.
(Is it just me, or how cool is it to "earn" a citiation from the Navajo Nation :)
·
Moved
with my new bride (a week after our wedding) from San Diego to Central Florida.
(We drove two cars and connected via walkie-talkies "in a pre-text world" ;)
·
Man-handled
a U-Haul (sure…those slidy bucket seats are
comfortable and don’t bounce much) from Long Beach, Calif., to San Antonio,
Texas.
·
Solo-chauffeured
our two dogs from CA to TX and spent several nights in various, interesting Motel 6’s where I walked
first one pound puppy – and then the other – to avoid pet policy penalties.
·
ROAD TRIPPED! from Newport, Rhode Island to San
Diego with my Uncle Tom, a retired geologist from Holland. Ugh, I *never* want to see another rock in my life!
- Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA.
Toward the end of its morning
show, the local AM station plays this song once a week.
By the end of the
song, I’m always bawling while emptying the dish machine or making fresh pancakes for the boys.
(It’s quite embarrassing, really, and I hope the front door bell never
rings.)
But, I can’t help it.
I’m proud that I was “born and reared” in Ireland, but
I’m so proud that I chose to
become an American.
- Thanksgiving.
I landed in the U.S. in 1996, but never “got” this holiday until 2001.
I was at a pre-Thanksgiving party with a few runner friends.
The guy next
to me asks what I’m doing for Thanksgiving?
Formerly a restaurant manager,
I always worked Thanksgiving so the “locals” could enjoy family time. My
current restaurant closed for the holiday. I had no plans.
The guy flipped
open his phone, talked to someone and handed me the phone.
“Hello. Is
this Mark?”
“Yes,
ma’am…?”
“Brian
tells me you’ve nowhere to go for Thanksgiving..,”
“Well,
yes, but that’s OK. I’m planning a quiet d—”
“Mark,
dinner’s at three. Brian will give you the address. We’ll see you then.”
“But…”
(Dial tone.)
Of course,
I had the most wonderful experience and Thanksgiving is now my favorite
holiday.(And to close that circle, here's this :)
5. Voting.
So many people don’t care, but oh my, it’s
so important.
And, if you’ve ever wondered why, watch this.
Go on.
You don't have to.
God bless the USA.
29 comments:
Yes, God Bless America.
Voting is a privilege so many others in the world don't get to enjoy.
All of those things make me happy too. Great list. (:
Wow, that is such a great, heartfelt list. I hope no one answered the door while you were crying :-)
One day, Hubby plans to drive across the US, gigging as he goes - I'm definitely going to tag along now!
LOVE!!!!!!
Mark, beautiful post. You have lived the most interesting life, and I'm SO intrigued to know more of your stories... you really have done so much and your passion for life and your country and your family is so apparent in all your actions. It's actually quite beautiful. So thank you for sharing. We love it.
And gosh... thanks for the tag! I do consider myself a happy person---I have too much to be grateful for, so it's easy to be appreciative and to be happy with the smallest things. (I think we parents/writers *have* to find joy in the small things or else we won't survive!!!)
:D
Just mentioning that song brought tears to my eyes! Must be those cyber genes we share.
This is a great nation. Even at our worst, I wouldn't trade living here for anywhere else.
And it is cool to get a ticket from the Navajo. When we travel west, I love stopping on reservations for dinner. Always great food at great prices!
I've never driven across the country, but I would really like to one day.
And I seriously love voting. I get a little rush whenever I go to a polling place. Unless that's totally weird. Then I don't...
Your post made me happy just to read it! We're planning a cross-country drive next month and I'm so excited for the experience. Wonderful post, Mark.
Ahhhh! Love ya Mark!! Great 5. My friend is navajo so I just hit her up for fry bread! Yum!!
Happiness is a essential ingredient in life. Thanks for sharing the happy.
This is a really awesome list! I enjoyed all of the videos.
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
I personally don't celebrate "Thanksgiving," as a lifelong Native American ally, but I respect that some people do choose to celebrate. I agree with the importance of voting. It's hard to imagine why anyone would choose not to vote, esp. if one is a woman, African-American, poor, or from some other group that historically was disenfranchised and went through a lot of struggles to be afforded this beautiful right.
Thanks for tagging me! You made me HAPPY and of course the driving across the US made me think about it in a brand new light. We're going to be doing that soon...with two hamsters in tow.
Kind of reminds of Craig Ferguson's book "American On Purpose." I love that dude. And you're pretty great, too.
Those are wonderful things. Anytime I've been at the airport when soldiers are coming home (or saw it on TV or the news) I start bawling. I can't help it. It's very touching.
God Bless America, indeed. This was an extraordinary post, Mark. I don't think I've spent this long on a single post, ever. I watched each video. The song made me cry. The soldiers returning home made me smile, over & over, and also a little bit sad, noticing just how young the men & women are who fight for our freedom. I absolutely loved the video with the young girl expressing her amazement at the liberties we take for granted, e.g. check writing, etc. There was a time when I didn't think my vote counted (I still voted), but after the Bush/Gore election my view has changed.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this. You touched my heart today and most definitely made me smile.
Great post! Numbers four and five are big ones for me, too. :)
Oh, Mark. You made me tear up with this post. I'm so sharing that last video; it's fabulous. I'm a local election official in my day job, and I'm gearing up now for my own one this fall. It makes me so sad when we sometimes have as few as 5% of our residents vote in a primary.
It's so wonderful to hear about the things that brings happiness your way. I love them all, too.
Awesome post! As an African-American woman it breaks my heart to discover that someone hasn't voted when so many people of color suffered just so I can. Yes, God Bless the USA!
Hey Mark, thank you very much! But, now, you've put the pressure on me to be happy all the time....I'll see what I can do :)
Nice to learn more things about you, as well. I never knew you were a transplant from Ireland...that's very cool.
It can be a trying place, sometime, but there's no other place I'd rather live.
Thanks again for the mention, I appreciate it! :)
I agree with you that voting is a privilege which many just do not want to make use of. I liked reading about the things that make you happy.
A great list Mark and thanks for linking back to me!
Wow! Love your happy ways! Love voting, that awesome song that makes me cry too, Thanksgiving, and homecomings.
What a wonderful uplifting post. And the bloggers you tagged are definitely happy-making people.
When I was younger I wanted to drive across America, taking my time, staying for a while wherever I chose. My college counselor convinced me to do an internship in another state instead. I went to Washington DC and interned as an investigator for the Public Defender's Office. Great experience. I'd still like to do that trip sometime though. Writer’s Mark
Thank you so much for taking up the Happy Meme Mark! I love your choices, though you did have me crying into my breakfast with the Thanksgiving clip!
You now have a new follower :)
I'm up for the happy tour. I'll put it up on Monday.
Voting is sadly underrated. I don't vote often as I'm not going to waste it on an imbecile. I do vote in the locals as that's where I get to make a real difference, especially with an independent standing.
Things to be happy about in May: spring (despite allergies); the community garden; family and friends; work; my pets. Thanks for the cheerful post!
Excellent list. I love that you included voting. And Thanksgiving.
SO jealous of your road trips. I love traveling. I'm actually only eight hours away from Key West, but I have never been there. However, it's on my bucket list and I'm almost positive I'm finally crossing it off my list this September.
I can't wait!
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