Happiness

I know, I know.... we haven't posted anything in way too long. And trust me, there's much to share. But that's for another time. It's mother's day, the sun is shining, and I want to be soaking up as much of it as I can get, but I need to pass along this.... If you haven't read The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's overdue and I have to return it to the library tomorrow, but I couldn't bear to not tell anyone about it before turning it in. If you like travel writing, humor and analyses of life, people, places, etc, you must read this. I don't often feel this passionate about books, but apparently this one struck a cord in me. I hope it does in you too.

Here's a quote from the book's Epilogue:

"Of all the places I visited, of all the people I met, one keeps coming back to me again and again: Karma Ura, the Bhutanese scholar and cancer survivor. "There is no such thing as personal happiness," he told me. "Happiness is one hundred percent relational." At the time, I didn't take him literally. I thought he was exaggerating to make his point: that our relationships with other people are more important than we think. But now I realize Karma meant exactly what he said. Our happiness is completely and utterly intertwined with other people: family and friends and neighbors and the woman you hardly notice who cleans your office. Happiness is not a noun or a verb. It's a conjunctive. Connective tissue."

Thanks to those of you out there whose lives and happiness intertwine with mine. And to you moms...happy mother's day. :)

Melissa