Happiness Is...

"Happiness is finding the little piece with the pink edge and 

part of the sky and the top of the sailboat."

~from Happiness is a Warm Puppy, by Charles Schulz

To call the last couple of days eventful would be a complete understatement. I mean, we are talking "are there really THAT many hours in a day? Did I really get ALL of that done?" eventful. And well, its been real. Things have begun to fall into place just a bit; my life is coming together one little piece at a time, and I am feeling less and less like I am running in aimless circles while I figure things out.

First, I would like to introduce you to the newest intern (me! the sneezeweed!) of Reach the World; an organization that aims to bring elementary and middle school students together with college foreign exchange students to learn about culture and geography, through the use of technology. Coolest thing you've heard of in a while? I thought so. This crazy opportunity literally came out of nowhere; nowhere being my aimless craigslist surfing. I saw, I applied, I Skype interviewed (yes, that's right. I interviewed via Skype.), and was offered the internship within twenty-four-hours. This lovely little piece of my post-grad-life-puzzle fit so nicely in its place.

After I had my ten AM Skype interview, I was a ball of productive energy. I hit the car wash, the card store, the post office, the photo center, and took my final teacher certification exam. Needless to say, I felt awesome. That little corner piece of the puzzle right there? In place.

When heading into the card store I remembered it is one of my college roommates birthday this coming week, and then it hit me. For the first time since we have known each-other, I won't celebrate with her. Margaret is attending graduate school on the other side of the country, and she will be celebrating with new friends this year. There I was, feeling the reality of distance between close friends all over again. Remember those bridges I talked about? I guess we're crossing another. But this time, I am prepared. I know what to expect. I know that we might end up on different islands, worlds apart. And I know that doesn't have to mean I've lost my friend. This time around though, I learned another way to contact the other islands. Did you know that these islands don't just have boats that run back and forth, but they also have the postal service?? So of course I went ahead and bought a card that had nothing to do with birthdays but would make my Margy laugh, wrote "Happy Birthday!" over whatever message was there (happy anniversary? thinking of you? happy halloween? I don't remember...), and handed it over to the lovely lady at the post office. It felt good, great even, to know that I was reaching out and saying "I love you, I miss you, and I am thinking of you on your birthday and everyday." Hey, I think that might be the piece that completed the edge of my puzzle.

I could go on and on about how amazed I was by my sunny Wednesday, but instead I will tell you what I did after all the productivity. I went ahead and got myself the most lovely treat. Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and a glazed donut. I sat in the cool grass in my yard with the sun on my face taking in the fall evening while I indulged. Heaven? Why yes, it was.

It's the little moments you know, it's the little pleasures that make a life. A card from a friend, a cup of coffee, a sunshine-filled fall day- these are the most valuable pieces of the puzzle. And mine are all right there in their place.