Happiness is
three slippery bodies
just out of the tub
holding out their towels
and asking for a
“Daddy warm-up”
Happiness is my Sweetie’s eyes
deep brown
and kind
always smiling
with soft lines around them
like the Lucinda Williams song
Happiness is this family
that is ours
only ours
always ours
because we took the leap
that led us here
*****************
Wednesday and Thursday are all about Happiness. Sarah and I are so happy to have you along on this amazing adventure. Link away…and we’ll get busy reading.
Read More in Jen Writes, motherhood, relationship, three kids
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The “daddy warm up” — love it! I love seeing my son all bundled up in his towel in his daddy’s arms. I think of him as a sweet babe again. Thanks for giving me that memory!
.-= Kristen Truong´s last blog ..Book review: The Art of Happiness =-.
Um, EVERYONE? I just want you to know that your comments mean the world to me, and as much as I want to respond to every single one individually, well, those links up there need my attention more right now. But thank you all, from the bottom of my happy heart. For reading. And for commenting. And for telling me I can write a poem. I’ve been trying most of my life to write a good poem. Maybe, just maybe, I’ve done it. Nothing like time constraints to make a few words take the place of many. I wish you all happiness!
I love those little beautifully wrapped, lovely moments of happiness! You have some wonderful images in your writing!
And…um…not to sound stupid, but I have no idea how to link up my blog post in the comments. I added it to the list, but I don’t know how to put it here. Help?
Ok, maybe I figured it out…
MidnightCafe’s post on Happiness: “Happiness Is…”
Love it, it is the little moments that make the real happiness.
.-= Heather @ One Take On Life´s last blog ..Happy 6th Birthday Hayden! =-.
Nakey wet babies fresh out of the bath are happiness indeed:)
.-= Kisha Floren´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
Yes, it is in the simple things that we can find happiness. Some days we see it and some days we don’t. My hope is that my eyes will be open to it as much as possible.
P.S. I just linked in…I’m late but I’m in! Bummer that I missed courage, maybe I will backtrack and write something anyhow.
.-= Gibby´s last blog ..Happiness =-.
I so love your poetry!! I agree with the other person who suggested that you put them all together and publish them!
.-= Samantha´s last blog ..An ellusive concept =-.
It was such a leap to get where we are! I sometimes look back at that chasm and it seems so far away, unfamiliar, and boring! Restful, maybe, but BORING.
Diana’s last post ..This time, let me go first
.-= Diana´s last blog ..There’s courage in that there lovey =-.
Beautiful!
.-= Mama Zen´s last blog ..How To Ruin A Play Date =-.
Great list! I thought this topic would be hard, but it’s turned out a great read on all the blogs!
.-= Amy at Never-True Tales´s last blog ..Happiness Defined =-.
I love the simplicity of your words – because that’s what happiness is all about :) the simple goodness of life.
.-= Corinne´s last blog ..{Five for Ten} Courage =-.
And the leap was good…
Because sometimes all you need in life to be happy is to see warm, little wet bodies, begging for warm toweled hugs!
I love the imagery here…so reminiscent of what I look forward to in my own home…
Thank you for the beautiful words…
.-= Maria´s last blog ..Happiness is… =-.
Adorable image of the kids and their towels, asking for a Daddy Warm-Up. Those are the sweetest, happiest moments, aren’t they?
I love the imagery here too, but your last line is my favorite, because you took the leap that led you here. Wonderful
.-= Aging Mommy´s last blog ..Mothers Day – The Present Is Revealed =-.
A beautiful poem to which we can all relate. As our kids become older and less dependent, happiness becomes a knowing glance, or a lingering hug, or a quiet conversation — less more subtle perhaps but certainly not less happy. I’m a little late to the game here. But we woud be most happy if you let us in on the fun — and the excellent writing that is going on across the blogosphere. Looking forward to posting tomorrow on happiness.
.-= Emily @ mothersofbrothers´s last blog ..Good News about a Bad Habit =-.
Oh yes!! Those things all bring us happiness at my house, too. I love wrapping my freshly cleaned boys in their fluffy towels after baths. No oatmeal or remenents of dinner on thier faces. Just buttery smooth skin to kiss and smiling, happy faces. Love that.
Lovely post about happiness, Jen.
.-= Hyacynth´s last blog ..Five for Ten: Running into courage =-.
bathtime is the way we make everything right in our home. It’s almost as if you wash away all the yuckiness of the day, and welcome all that is truly good in the life of a family. (and we have a special Daddy dry-off too!!)
My husband? Me? We were the ones that took the leap, with no knowledge of where the leap would take us. I guess this counts as courage AND happiness, all in one life. :)
.-= Kirsten´s last blog ..Leopards, spots, those sorts of things… =-.
Wonderful! Funny that this post follows the “courage” ones. It takes courage to take any leap of faith, but when it pays off it’s SO good. And happy.
.-= Liz @ Peace, Love & Guacamole´s last blog ..Speak Up =-.
“Because we took the leap that led us here.” That is the sweetest thing I have ever read.
.-= Debbi´s last blog ..Happiness is.. =-.
Your poem reminds me that I could tell the story of my kids’ lives in their bath/shower/towel history. The tubs, the bubbles, the baths in sinks. It makes me wistful.
.-= Linda at Bar Mitzvahzilla´s last blog ..Happy Anyway =-.
This is happiness!!!
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..Gimme That Girl =-.
I agree, that is definitely happiness!
.-= Charlotte´s last blog ..Lump of coal for Mother’s Day? =-.
Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. Robert Heinlein (Author)
I love this quote because of the way it connects two emotions/states of being that I’ve always believed go hand in hand. I think that in order to find happiness you must find love. I don’t mean romantic, let’s go on a date and practice writing how my first name sounds with your last name love. I mean love in its purest form….deep affection for another person… not because they will do something for you or because they owe you or because it’s a legal or seemingly moral obligation or because you think they’re hot or whatever. I mean deep affection for another person simply because. It could be romantic love, but it can also be the love of a good friend or a family member or a child.
As a society we tend to think of our happiness as a personal quest for a particular euphoric emotion or as a cumulative list that results in a specific feeling (if I pay off my debts, get the promotion I want, get the man I want, have 2.5 children, get that white picket fence THEN I will be happy). I, however, think that happiness is so much more than that.
I think personal happiness is a daily choice that’s contingent upon loving those around you. Let’s be honest…sometimes life just sucks. There’s no more eloquent way to say that. It just is what it is. But each day we have to decide if we’re going to choose the dark side or choose the light. The easiest way for me to choose the light is to try to bring light to others. I can’t always do something to improve my circumstances and I’m not Oprah or someone who can make people happy by the millions. But what I can tell you is that there is no greater joy than helping to bring happiness to someone you care deeply for. Affecting others in a loving and positive way changes your heart for the better. Making someone I love laugh when they’re having a bad day. Having my family say the dinner I made was delicious. Having a friend tell me that they’re so happy we’re friends. These are the moments that help me define happiness.
I can think of a plethora of things that bring a smile to my face, but nothing can compare to the purest form of joy I experience when I make someone I love happy. I can win tons of awards and accomplish every goal I ever set for myself, but there is something life altering that happens when you engage in an act of kindness for someone you love just because. There is simply nothing on earth, in my opinion, that can light a candle to that.
TODAY’S THINK TANK: Who do you love? Make a list of 3 people who light up your life. Then make a list of 3 things you’ve done recently to make them happy. If you haven’t done 3 things recently then make a list of the 3 things you WILL do to make them happy before the end of this weekend. Don’t tell them why you’re doing it. Just do it. Not only will it give them joy, but it will remind you of what real happiness is
.-= Kelli Powers´s last blog ..Love & Happiness =-.
I love your poetry. And I understand how hard it is to get it out there. I consider myself a repressed poet. It’s so raw and open with no room for “and what I really MEAN to say is,” and “Of course, I don’t want to suggest that…”
Sometimes I think it would be good for me to practice it more and just accept putting my thoughts out there without qualifiers or lead-ins to rely on.
Now, on happiness. Strangely, I had a really hard time deciding what to post for my Five for Ten, because all I ever write about is happiness so how could I narrow it down? I hope you won’t mind, but I republished an old post of mine that sums up my happiness philosophy.
“because we took the leap that led us here”
Arghh, I think you’re reading my mind. Here I am again, on this lovely mommy blog, with all these incredibly mommy readers, talking about being on “The Mommy-or-Not Fence.” Just the other night, Husband spoke about “taking the leap” and that has rattled around my brain all day. I think you’re writing about both courage and happiness! It’s just so. damn. scary.
.-= Eva @ Eva Evolving´s last blog ..It’s alright to not be happy =-.
Sweet, simple and beautiful!
.-= Cranky Sarah´s last blog ..Me without makeup: Status Quo =-.
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