This Door Is Always Open

Day 19: What makes you happy?

I have a friend who has been as close to me as any I’ve ever had. We’ve been through good times and bad but mostly just some really great times. I love her. I love her family which she has easily and generously shared with me.

She is married and the mother of three. She is beautiful. She is rational. She is truly the jelly to my peanut butter. We approach life differently and we are currently living nearly opposite lives.

But I love her so much. I will never understand how this match ever came to be. I know how it works. Many times it has been said “opposites attract” and she married a male version very similar to me.

As I drove home from work, she phoned me to tell me she was going to the store to get candy for her kids’ Easter baskets. She asked me if I wanted to tag along.

Absolutely. Anytime I get one on one time with her, I’m stoked. It’s hard to share one of the best friends I’ve ever made with a spouse, children, neighbors, etc… She is good to me. I know when she asks me which candy I love most, it’s because I will reap some of Sunday’s spoils.

I don’t know if she is making the biggest difference in the world, but she is making the biggest difference in the world to me. I’m inspired by her.

Tonight I had a meeting with a spiritual leader who I esteem highly. However, I was greeted by his executive secretary first. This young man, this peer of mine, visited with me for about ten minutes. In the ten minutes we shared, he asked if I was dating anyone.

I explained my classic story of girl meets boy, girl and boy become very close, girl falls in love with boy, and boy doesn’t feel the same. You know, regular Hollywood stuff. Heartbrokenly ever after.

In a world of people missing opportunities to connect with one another, this guy took it. At the end of the thirty second recap, he frankly stated the boy to be a fool. Then we shared a connection. He impressed me.

I work at a large corporation and have one thousand co-workers. Our company’s CEO and other executive administrators are fairly tucked away from us. Yet I have managed to put myself on the radar with them. They have talked with me, laughed with me, and even bought me lunch. I am fortunate to mingle with them and observe their expertise.

What makes me happy? People make me happy.