Happiest Now

I can say that I am the happiest right now than I have been in a long time. How long? Since I got married long. Don't get me wrong, I have been happily married, but right now things are just awesome. Why? Some people say that happiness is related to community. Right now my community is pretty spectacular.

Family is near by. I talk to my dad daily, my little brother at least once a week, usually more. My kids and I have daily conversations. And my wife and I have been growing as a couple for the last 5 years, the relationship just keeps getting better every day.

I have a bunch of close friends. This is actually a new thing for me. My wife and I talked about moving back closer to our families, and I ended up not wanting to. Why? Primarily because my friends are here. I have work friends and gaming friends and old friends and new friends. And most of the world doesn't understand that this is a new thing for me. It is almost like Christmas every day. Growing up we moved, alot. We moved so much that in 12 years of school, I went to 9 different schools. Which means I had new friends pretty much every year. The years that we didn't move just happened to coincide with the years that I would change schools (going from elementary to middle school). So now, I have friends that I can say, "remember that time ** 9 ** years ago?" and they can say, "Yeah, that was great". Most people in this world have experienced that by the time they are 18. It took me until the age of 36 to have that happen.

My work life is stabilized as well. I am with a good company, that I trust, and that appreciates me. This is new as well. Looking back at that last paragraph I wonder if there was something wrong with me that caused me to jump companies every other year, because that is exactly what happened. The longest I was ever in one place was 2 years. I was never taught how to be planted. The people at my company are great. The company isn't just stable, it is growing. In this economy that is huge.

So, between my family, my friends and my work relationships, my community is pretty strong right now. Which means, I am a happy man.