Found Happiness

You know how you get your winter coat out of the closet for the first time of the season, and you reach into the pocket to find a crumpled five dollar bill? Isn't it wonderful? It's not the lottery or anything, but it's a surprise, an unexpected gift. Yes, it was always your money, but that isn't the point. You didn't know you had it, so it's...free.

I lost an earring this week. I was certain that I lost it at the carnival, and so it would be gone forever, having been trampled into powdered crystal and crumpled metal under the feet of carnies and frolicking teenagers. I was particularly disappointed, because it was from a pair I had bought to replace another pair which had been broken. And the crystals were orange, so they matched my Auburn gear and my Browns gear. I almost threw the other one into the trash out of disgust. But I didn't.

Happily, I found it today! It was being batted around the kitchen floor by a kitten. When I saw it, I was as elated as I have been about anything in weeks, and even more so that I hadn't disposed of its mate. It occurred to me later as I enjoyed the tickling on my earlobes that it can take little to make a day pleasant. Five dollars in your pocket. A five-dollar pair of earrings. Small things as these can make the mundanity bearable.