What Makes You Happy

The last two days, Philip came up with a list of “What Makes You Happy?”  Here is his list:

1.       CAN APPEAR IN A BLOG

2.       KIDS AROUND ME

3.       EACH DAY I LEARN THINGS ABOUT THE WORLD

4.       BEING SMART

5.       A DAY EATING OUT AT A RESTAURANT

6.       ANY MUSIC (favorite music artist is BEATLES)

7.       A DAY AT OUTER BANKS

8.       ASKING A QUESTION

9.       A DAY AT THE BEACH

10.   A DAY AT (of) SANETY (When asked what he meant by that, he replied NO STRESS.  I asked him to give an example of how this could be achieved.  He replied, BEING LOOKED AT AS YOU (look) AT ME

Not to be outdone by Philip, I decided to come up with my own list of what makes me happy:

1.       Writing a blog and seeing people care about what I write

2.       Hanging out with friends

3.       Learning new things, especially about Philip and autism in general

4.       Discovering my talents and purpose

5.       A great meal, especially if it is on a date with my husband at a nice restaurant

6.       Art that moves me, whether it be in the form of writing, music, dance, or visual art

7.       A day in a new place, vacation

8.       A heart to heart talk, especially with my kids, Sam, and my best friends

9.       A fun day with the family

10.   A day when things go right (Seeing your kids make good decisions, watching your favorite team or athlete win- my kids or the Bills, being amazed at God’s blessings)

I have to admit, I kind of cheated.  Philip’s answers were so good, I modeled my answers after his.  It really does summarize what makes me happy!  It just goes to show that we are more alike than not.  I also noticed that what makes Philip happy isn’t necessarily what he is drawn to doing- namely stims.  He has told me he enjoys stims (pacing, flapping, tapping objects), but that he needs help stopping because it keeps him away from everybody.  He has said too much stimming is bad.  I am again reminded of how similar we are.  In our human nature we are all drawn to things we ought not to follow to extreme though they may provide us temporary pleasure but no real happiness.  Here’s a short list, but many other things can be added: materialism, gluttony, fame/notoriety, substance abuse, lust, self-absorption.  My hope for both of us, in fact for all mankind, is that as we focus on what truly makes us happy, all the other things we are drawn to but don’t give real satisfaction, will become less important and lose their hold on us. 

 Philip enjoying the calm beach.

 Labor Day 2013- A Day at Beaver Island State Park with Friends