On Friday I went to a luncheon for faculty women. The topic was happiness.
One of her thoughts was, "Contentment is not the attainment of what you desire, but the realization of what you already have."
The speaker also talked about The Happiness Project (by author Gretchen Rubin). On Rubin's webpage, she talks about creating your own set of happiness commandments - rules you live by to help you find happiness. Here are some of the ones she mentioned. (I haven't written mine yet.)
Be yourself.
Let it go.
Act as I would feel.
Do it now.
Be polite and be fair.
Enjoy the process.
Identify the problem.
Lighten up.
Do what ought to be done.
There is only love.
One of her ideas is "The days are long, but the years are short." With that in mind, I thought I should record, "The sleepover" - as how many times will I have a sleepover with my grandson?
When Zach sleeps at our house, his parents are in the basement with baby Halle, and he sleeps two floors away in the room with the twin beds. Last time, I offered to have a sleepover so he didn’t have to be alone. Last night was another of those sleepover nights. At about six this morning he started stirring. I wanted him to know he wasn’t alone so I said, “You okay Zach?” That started a series of questions:
1. When it is seven (the time he is allowed to get up), do you know how to start a show?
2. Can you turn the clock so I can see it?
3. I think I need to go potty. I’m a little wet. I need new underpants. Can you come with me? [We found his underwear, but not another set of pajamas.] I can just put my blanket on my legs so I won’t be cold.
4. Hey Grandma, you want an animal?
5. You can have giraffe or cat. I can’t find elephant. Can I turn on the light? [He does.] I found elephant’s bum. I did. I found elephant's bum.
6. Can you turn off the light so I can sleep?
7. Hey Grandma, you want giraffe? [He brings him to me and I tuck him under by arm, but he corrects…] He needs to go under your covers.
8. Hey Grandma, is your pillow white?
9. It matches mine, huh?
10. Hey Grandma, what are you doing?
11. Hey Grandma, can I get up?
12. Hey Grandma, the clock won’t get seven. I can’t go back to sleep. How come we can’t get up?
13. [He coughs.] I’m okay, Grandma.
14. Hey Grandma, is Grandpa sleeping a long time too?
[I hear singing over in his bed – “Ba-dub. A dub Dub dub.”
15. Hey Grandma, how about we don’t wake up at seven? Let’s get up now.
16. Is Grandpa awake?
17. Do you have Thomas? [We settled down to watch Thomas the Train.]
Children are such a gift. You see life anew in their eyes
1 comment:
I loved the idea of Happiness Commandments. I plan on writing some of my own.
Zach gets frustrated often that he can't get the clock to show a specific time (like during Quiet Time). It's like he thinks if he stares at the clock long enough and he wants it bad enough, the time he desires will magically appear. You're way to nice to get up at 6. I hope Zach remembers his Grandma sleepovers when he gets older - he certainly loves them now!
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