Terrorism.
Death.
Violence.
Fear.
Enough!
Enough already.
I will not allow myself or the lives of my children to be defeated by crazy, needless, heartbreaking violence.
I choose to…no…I NEED to find me some happy.
So, without wishing to be shallow or insensitive, here is my list.
I love Friday evenings. Yes, I am no longer in a 9-5 job and my kids do not slow down for the weekends, but I can taste the happy when the kids are in bed, the wine is open, the crappy, no brainer TV show is on, and my husband is with me on the couch. The whole weekend is in front of us. Finally, I can breathe.
School pick-up is another moment of heart swell. Sure, I am wrestling to keep my over enthused 3 year old by my side as I politely wave and chat my way through the throng of parents, but that moment that my little Kinder boy sees me? When I see his face light up with a shriek of “Mummy,” and a desperate struggle to stand up from the Kinder line with his over sized back pack? Pure joy.
When you find a pair of jeans that fit right and even look slimming. Double happy points if found in the first shop. Triple happy points if you find bathers.
I love that even though I call my Mum every day, she still sounds excited to hear my voice. I am always speechless with pride when we visit my parents, and my Dad sings out behind me as we’re leaving that “I’m doing a great job” with our kids. These small things mean the absolute world, especially when we live a long way apart.
Grainy sand between my toes, a tickle of a breeze and a gorgeous kiss of the morning sun on my face. For someone who is not especially ‘beachy’, I have learnt to love the waves, the sandcastles and the stream of happy tourists. I will never learn to love the sand that finds its way into every bodily orifice and corners of our home after a beach trip.
If chocolate mousse had negative calories, my life would be complete. Not that fake, powdery stuff, either, the real deal made with quality cream and chocolate and stop, stop, STOP this Anna, because now I want to eat some and it’s not even 7am!
Receiving a parcel in the post is a thrill. Even if you are expecting something, there is still the shiver of anticipation of unwrapping your package and seeing if it’s what you wanted.
I love a good wedding. The music, the dress, the speeches, the flowers; the whole shebang. I am partial to tears in my older age but I love the love. It is everywhere on these days; I am reminded of the love I have and feel that thrill for the newlyweds.
Sitting down to a meal that someone else has planned, shopped for and put together is another happy. I especially love weekend meals in our house as my husband is a much better cook than I. He regularly serves up a dish cooked with love and passion; not something slapped together whilst juggling lego wars, school readers and regular interval whining of, “I’m huuuunnngry.”
A block of alone time to work on my writing is golden. An extra bonus if the house is clean, a candle is lit and I am bursting with creative ideas. Just let me at my laptop! Time simply disappears.
That moment when you wake up on a Saturday and it is 7.45am! Sleep in! Now, believe me, this is still a fairly rare occurrence and it normally happens when the littlest little has snuggled in beside me and I have cuddled up with her to help her get back to sleep. Naturally I slide off to snoozy land with her.
Which brings me to the smell of freshly washed hair. When I cuddle my babies close and their hair is just sunshine and lolly-pops, I am a happy mummy.
Following on with memories and scent, if I smell a squirt of Impulse, I am transported back to dancing the Bus Stop at the Blue Light Discos. Dancing wildly with the girls, shooting cheeky glances over to where the boys are and recounting the drama in minute detail with my best friend the next day. Life was simple and safe.
A family walk out in the fresh air. Life just feels a million miles away; my angels running wildly ahead, little picnic sandwiches and tired kids that night.
In fact, the sun is fast rising and the sky is blue.
It is time to gather my ones close and get out there.
Life is for love and laughter.
“Look for the good.”
