Finding My "Happy"

My friend Kim told me that when her boys were young the best way to clam them down was to tell them to just go off somewhere and find their happy. I am finding that for the first time in my life my happy has found me. I have evaluated many things in the last few weeks as my journey into culinary arts has started and what I have found is astounding. I don't wake up in the morning trying to be happy, I just am. I don't worry about things that I can't control and work hard on the things that I can. I enjoy the small things in life, like a conversation with a friend or sunny day.
I had someone ask my awhile back what my long term goals were. I had to joyfully answer that I had no long term goals, that I was waiting to see what life had to offer me instead of being so vain as to assume that I could decide without any help. Maybe the universe has something for me that I hadn't thought of before. Maybe it has my perfect job and perfect home and perfect match and I have to be patient and wait for it.
So, off I go into the world to find all the things that I love. So far I love food, friends, family, my dog, scuba diving, knitting, napping, eating, hot baths, swimming in a cool lake, walking barefoot in the grass, swing dancing, hugs, smiling, laughing... This may take awhile!
This year I want to try everything that I can. I will make stock, learn to ski, sky dive, sew, and travel... more. Any other thoughts?! Please submit your request in writing!

Back to Fargo

First of all let me start out by saying that I believe this phrase to be grossly overused but I am going to use it any way. I am a very blessed and lucky person. I have just returned from a three month long adventure in the Southwest United States. Las Cruces, NM to be exact. It was one of the most amazing trips of my life! There were so many things to see and people to meet. I had the chance to get scuba certified, crew a hot air balloon and see all kinds of sites... like mountains. In addition to this I lived with Candace and her fabulous family who took excellent care of me while I was there. I am alive, in one piece and happy as a clam. I felt that the best thing to happen was the one thing that people take for granted the most sometimes. The people that I met were amazing. People who do interesting things, see the world in a completely unique way and are at turning points in their lives. People ready to find their own adventures!
As for me I have returned to the Fargo/Moorhead area to finish my degree in culinary arts and look for my next big adventure. As I was coming home I found a new sense of happiness. I am still not used to people actually liking me so it was a welcome and happy surprise of sorts to find my family and friends anxiously waiting for me. I danced, knitted and got caught up with everyone. One of the people that I met on my journey emailed me not long ago and said that since I had people who were sad to see me go and people who were glad to have me back that I must be doing something right. I sure hope so because I am the happiest right now that I have ever been. I feel as though my soul has found me again and that we can face the world with a strength that I thought was lost.