It seems that everywhere I turn, people are speaking about the quest of happiness. just yesterday, my other half got a postcard in the mail from his employer, a significant communications company. The postcard displayed a bar graph of his payment with color coded segments for money, health and wellness benefits, as well as the quest of happiness (which was a recommendation to the free services we get in our house from the company).
Last month, I discovered that two women makes parents happier than a boy as well as a girl. From British website Bounty.com:
”˜BEST’ TO ”˜WORST’ combinations OF CHILDREN:
1. two girls
2. One boy as well as one girl
3. two boys
4. three girls
5. three boys
6. four boys
7. two women as well as one boy
8. two boys as well as one girl
9. three boys as well as one girl
10. three women as well as one boy
11. two boys as well as two girls
12. four girls
Hmmm. So according to this list, more kids equals less happiness.
Which reminds me that a year ago, I did checked out that the childless are more happy than parents. (I expect that the infertile are exceptions to this, so let’s clear up that it’s those who are child-free by choice.)
Did you understand that there is a Journal of happiness Studies? as well as of program you understand about Gretchen Rubin’s bestselling book, The happiness job in which she spends a year test driving every theory as well as tip about happiness to see which ones work.
I just recently listened to a story on NPR about countries that are studying their people’s happiness, or social well-being, to ensure that they can determine the success of the administration.
Now I’m having a difficult time getting my arms around the idea of happiness. Can’t it modification from moment to moment? definitely for parents it does. When I go to pick my child up from school, I feel a happy rush of anticipation before I see her. When I area her in the crowd of 3-year olds, my heart fills with pride. then as she turns to me as well as I squat down to greet her, it can go two ways: a huge hug that keeps my happy mojo going or a grumpy deal with with a pronouncement of “I don’t like you. I desired dad to pick me up.”
The latter puts us on a path toward a twenty minute struggle to get out of the school, perhaps a screaming tantrum on the method to her brother’s school, during which I may be feeling tense, resentful, or frustrated. As we park as well as get out of the car, she may say, “Mommy, in Fairytale Land, there are pink toilets,” demonstrating to me that she has totally moved on with her day, leaving me to question if I am happy or not.
I have a vision of happiness that is the impulse to skip, to laugh a lot, to feel energized by everything. Is that what we’re speaking about here?
Or are we speaking about what I have: a loving husband, health and wellness insurance, two wise as well as fairly behaved children, supportive parents, as well as sufficient money to home as well as feed us.
My present believed is that it’s only somebody who is already quite happy who has the time as well as mental area to begin wondering if they are really, truly, happy.
Later this week, I’m going to share some thoughts out of Meagan Francis‘s book, The Happiest Mom. before then, I’m wondering what you believe about all this happy talk.