Jan 242005
In the 17th century, a Chinese playwright was trapped in a temple with a friend for several days because of a rainstorm. They set about creating a list of the happiest moments in life. I actually do something similar; keeping a mental catalog of moments when I was truly happy that I can turn to when things aren’t going so well. Here are a few:
- I remember waking up one morning to get ready for school. I had the radio on and I looked out the window to see a thick blanket of snow. Someone on the radio announced that the schools were closed and I turned over and went back to sleep. Ah, is this not happiness?
- I remember opening a letter from the University of Minnesota on a bitterly cold February afternoon and reading that I had been accepted to law school. I knew then that I wouldn’t be stuck in Green Bay my whole life. Ah, is this not happiness?
- I remember staying up late with my buddy Charles and playing computer games in my tiny West Bank apartment, our conversation drifting between things past and future. Ah, is this not happiness?
- I remember having dinner with a beautiful woman at a Greek restaurant in St. Paul. She was sitting right next to me and holding up the menu for both of us to read, her hand brushing against mine. Ah, is this not happiness?
- I remember sitting on the deck of the building where I live now, reading and feeling the warm summer sun. And then going inside and being greeted by the cool kiss of the air conditioning. Ah, is this not happiness?
