My Happy Brain

I just got off the phone with Sarah, an excited Sarah, who can’t believe the response they are having to the latest iteration of 5 for 10.  And I’m excited, too.  And happy, so happy.

And, I’m still thinking about the courage post, and how brave it is for all of you to tell the truth, to put it out into cyberspace for anyone to read – friend, foe, family or just the faceless, unknown reader.  It is a courageous act to say, “What the hell.  This is my life.  These are my thoughts. This is important to me. And just maybe it will resonate with you, my reader.”

And boy oh boy, the last two posts did just that. Unheard of amount of comments from old readers, new readers, dedicated daily commenters, and casual ones, like me.

I read them all, posts and comments alike, and went to bed exhausted from the emotion as well as the late hour, but also so very happy.  Happy to bask in the honest and open reflection that Momalom seems to engender.  Happy to be a part of this amazing endeavor my children have begun.  Happy to be a woman living here and now, when such a thing is possible. Happy.

Which isn’t an unusual state for me. I am blessed with a Happy Brain.  Don’t laugh. There is such a thing.

Three or four years ago I attended a lecture by a neurologist who has been researching the brain, and was in the process of formulating some interesting theories on the ramifications for said research on the teaching of young children. And the theories apply not just to teaching them in the classroom, of course, but also to parenting them at home.  It’s looking more and more likely that good old Mother Nature really does have a bigger influence on our children than us parents. Sure, we can mold and sculpt, push and pull, give choices and opportunities, etc,. but we can only work with the basic material that arrives. And, in any one family, the people that arrive can be as different from one another as night and day.

Take my three, for instance. One was wide-awake and looking around, one was sleepy and easygoing, and one was looking directly at me and, I swear, smiling. Their brains were already formulating their personalities, their particular view of the world, and the manner in which they approached it.  And frankly, they haven’t changed that much since I first held them in my arms.

There are right brained people, and left brained people.  Creative and not so creative.  Girl brains and boy brains.  And then there are the brains that see the world in shades of doom and gloom – my grandmother-in-law being a perfect example.  She always looked like a thundercloud, and never, ever had two good things to say about anybody or anything.  Oh woe was her!

And then there are the happy brains.  My Dad set that perfect example.  “Why should I worry,” he would declare with a devilish grin.  “Ninety-five percent of the things you worry about never happen anyway.”  Totally a made-up statistic, of course, but it supported his perennial happiness.  Even when life knocked him around for a few years, he was eventually able to recover his equilibrium, and regain that grin.

I have inherited his happy brain, and I know how lucky I am. I have several friends who fight depression on a daily basis, and it is an uphill battle for them both. And not something that either signed up for.  So, I’ll accept the gift of my Happy Brain from Mother Nature (via my Dad), understanding that my wonderful parents had a lot to do with keeping it that way.

And, having just read Bad Mommy Moment’s !!! post, I’ll just end with a few !!! of my own that keep my brain happy.

My comfy, old brown chair with books and magazines and computer.  Mission control for the Geege.

My garden. A major preoccupation is watching things grow – kids, dogs, plants (my waistline)

My kids.  Nuff said.

My grandkids.  More than enough said.

My honey, me, and the Big Blue Dress on our very happy day.

L’chaim!

Tagged as: Five for Ten Again

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