What is the happiness quotient? I have NO idea! I wish I knew the perfect mix of life that brought abundant happiness. We spend so much of our time trying to find the secret to happiness, rather than just appreciating what’s right in front of us. Sometimes, I feel like our world creates this urgency to achieve more, do more, and want more. It’s as if we must constantly keep up or are simply left behind. Yet, would being left behind be so bad? So what if the dishes sit in the sink one extra day. So what if the laundry isn’t folded immediately. Does that really impact our day? If we are doing dishes at the expense of building relationships, have we accomplished anything? Don’t get me wrong……dishes need to be done and laundry needs to be put away…..eventually. I’m just saying that life is short and no one remembers whether or not the laundry was done. They remember who you were. They remember the time shared together. They remember what you stood for…..what your values were. I have a beautiful friend who always says what is the point of having a ton of money if you’re not spending it on experiences….time together….she says the money doesn’t die with you so what is it for. Isn’t that the truth?! I admire this friend so much. She and her family have been through more than any one family should ever endure, yet they experience life each and every day. They don’t take for granted a second of this life God has given us. They travel, and they spend time together. Nothing else really matters. They’ve been gifted something many of us spend a lifetime trying to achieve…..true happiness and gratefulness for the life they’ve got before them. I’m sure there are many, many moments where there’s pain and grief and anger over the hand that was dealt them, and who could blame them?! I watch in awe the love that my friend and her husband have for one another. They share the hard, the happy, the sad, the excited…..all of it together. They are each other’s ride or die. It’s sitting in the room together while the other is working on their computers. It’s one of them cooking and the other doing dishes. It’s caring for one another when you’re sick and feeling down. It’s talking about their day and sharing their frustrations and joys. It’s appreciating that God has blessed them with another day together. It’s appreciating everything that each one brings to the table. It’s holding close the vulnerabilities that each of us carries. We don’t share those with everyone. It’s knowing that our children will always be the biggest piece of our hearts. It’s prioritizing the relationship we want…..the relationship we deserve. It’s loving ourselves enough to know that God is placing people in our lives at just the right moment for just the right reason. So the happiness quotient is so much more than we could possibly explain. It’s having it all…….deep attraction, spiritual connectedness, respect and love, playfulness, flirting, glances, holding the other when you need to be held, lifting each other up, listening…..oh so important…..hearing what is said and holding that tightly. It’s saying the words and backing them up with actions. It’s the many, many layers of a rose in full bloom…..how the petals wind through one another with such beauty. It’s looking across the room and smiling at the other, knowing that is a look of such adoration and love for one another. Isn’t that what true happiness is? I think so……I hope so……and boy do I want that!