Happiness is a slice of pizza

“You can’t buy happiness. But you can buy pizza, and that’s kind of the same thing.” – Anonymous

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One week ago today I came rolling into Illinois…my new home and place of service.

My knowledge of Illinois was barely more than my knowledge of what the dark side of the moon is like. So there’s been a steady diet of getting up each day trying to figure out how to make this feel like home and trying to learn what it is that I’m supposed to be doing. To be honest, there’s been a bit of apprehension and uncertainly in it all and it certainly hasn’t been very fun.

But we turned a page yesterday…I discovered a restaurant that serves good pizza. Yesterday was my third attempt in just one week. My first attempt was at a restaurant whose pizza was okay. Then the next was pretty good, but then yesterday at Laux Brickhouse Grille I hit the jackpot…excellent pizza! (There is a God!)

Now I know I can be happy in Illinois, for as long as there’s good pizza available then happiness is always nearby.

Of course I am being a little “tongue-in-cheek” here, but it does beg the question, “What makes you happy?”

Are you setting the bar to high?

Is your happiness expensive, requiring big plans and exotic places?

Is your happiness pegged to someone else coming through for you and if they don’t you’re let down, resentful and unhappy?

Is your happiness waiting out there somewhere in the future and the best you can do now is endure, hoping that someday happiness will be yours?

Is your happiness just an afterthought? If it happens it happens if it doesn’t you just stoically keep plodding on?

That’s not how it’s supposed to work!

Happiness is like an old pair of comfortable shoes, your favorite coffee mug, a good book, an afternoon nap, puttering around in the garden pretending you have a green thumb, taking a walk, taking a drive…and yes a good slice of pizza.

Happiness is like the gentle breeze that helps the butterfly flit from flower to flower or the morning sunlight shining on your favorite house plant.

The butterfly can fly without the breeze and the flower can survive without the sunshine, but its tougher. And your life without happiness is tougher too.

The ONE THING for today: Be intentional about defining what makes you happy, but set the bar very low, and then go for it…finding a good slice of pizza is a great place to start!