Did you know the month of August is Happiness Happens Month? I didn’t until I saw a tiny acknowledgement at the end of my calendar. Of course, I googled and found The Secret Society of Happy People.  So how happy are you? I have never considered myself an overtly happy person, being one who nurses a serious morose side, but I’ve learned to appreciate it, even crave it, in people I interact with.  Here is what I did to cultivate some happiness last sunday.

 Actually, I had an amazing video and realized I can’t upload it without a video upgrade.  I can’t tell you how long I patiently  held my arms up in the air trying to hold my camera steady to get the video.  The humming birds didn’t mind if I was sitting near by reading, but when I raised my camera, they took off.  I saw about seven swarming around the feeder at once.

So that brings me back to happiness.  The Secret Society of Happy People has a list of  31 different kinds of happiness that is interesting to ponder.   I tend to think of happiness in terms of Celebrate, Playful, and Joyful.  Relieved, Nostalgic and Mellow don’t usually evoke ideas of happiness for me.  But if I think about it, relief can definitely be associated with a little rush of joy.  For instance, my husband was out-of-town a few weeks ago and I was on double dog duty.  I walk the dogs separately because Jenny could pull me off my feet and drag me down the street. Texas Jones, on the other hand, walks with a severe limp after his embolism.  My husband can walk them both together but I don’t.  Though Texas walks like a drunken sailor, he still fancies himself a rascal and would try to chase down a dog twice his size or a UPS truck.  So one night, I come back after walking Jenny to find Texas staggering down the street. Apparently the gate hadn’t closed all the way and Mr. Jones decided to see where Jenny and I went. Not only could he have been hit by a car, he could have gotten in a dog fight, or been attacked by coyotes.  We have a huge problem with coyotes here and they roam the streets at night, giving anyone the stink eye who looks at them twice.  I have been to the emergency vet, usually after hours, too many times, thank you very much.  So yeah, I was damn happy I rounded up Texas without incident.

And then there is Nostalgia.  My brother and his girlfriend are renting a place in La Jolla.  Me and my husband used to live in the same neighborhood when we were first together.  We were young and had a lot more happy words on our list.  Anticipation, Hopeful, Optimistic and Confident were our buzz words.  When we visit my brother, we stop at our old grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine and I’m transported back.  I miss the excitement of La Jolla though I love my house with the big yard in Mellow Carlsbad.  Those memories alway put a smile on my face so I guess Nostalgia is a go as well on my happiness meter. So on the last day of  Happiness Happens Month, think about what makes you happy, blessed, thankful.  You just might be surprised how much you have to be happy about.