Happiness is…. [ you fill in the blank here ].

Yes, happiness means different things for each and every one of us.

When I was a kid, I used to read those “Happiness Is….” books… they might have been a Charles Schultz Peanuts thing. At any rate… I used to read them and think many of the “Happiness Is….” examples weren’t really for me. You know, Happiness is… a sugar cookie. What??

No.  When I was eight years old… riding my bike down Bruce Avenue Hill at full tilt and not crashing into anyone or anything…. now THAT made me happy.

We each have our own song and dance.

Another for instance.  A sizeable bowl of piping-hot-homemade mashed potatoes makes me about as happy as happy can be. Mashed spuds are just so good for you in every way! They are, after all …one of the PWFs (pasty white foods)… and I LOVE each and every one of those PWFs. Yet, on the other hand…. a good friend of mined detests all-things-potatoes. She and her family were potato farmers growing up, and to this day… she would rather not ingest a potato-anything.  Seriously.  (I know it seems…. just crazy-go-nuts … but it is for real!)

So to each his own.

Somebody wrote in this week…. and here is the letter.

Dear Polly,

What is your deal with Sock Monkeys? It is kind of childish.
Can you tell us why you are always talking about Sock Monkeys?

Sincerely,
Viola
Newark, NJ

Dear Viola,

No. I can not tell you what my deal is with Sock Monkeys. All I know is… they bring a smile to my face no matter what. I’ve never met a cross sock monkey. Viola… they simply make me happy.

As Curious George as my witness,
Polly

So there you have it. What makes you happy? Clams? Pigs in the mud? A Lark?

I hope you find it, each and every day…. whatever “IT” is.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.  When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon