Happiness

I was thinking about happiness last night as I tried to fall asleep. How different people define happiness, how certain events make different people feel different levels of happiness, how I define my own happiness. I really do think I am genuinely happy. (the word happy is looking very silly to me right now, happy, happy, happy... strange).

I love my job. I am the Office Manager for Hudson Remodeling. My dad started this business when my family moved from Utah to Washington when I was five years old. He started with just himself and no one else. He would do all the work in the field and then come home and work all night in the office. He supported a family of six with his own bare hands. I admire my father for what he was able to do. My sisters and I had the average childhood. We were clothed, feed, and never needed. My dad sacrificed everything to give his family all he could. My mother was a stay at home mom, which I am sure was hard to do. We ate at home every night except for four times a year, when we would go out to dinner. My dad always encouraged good grades in school, even helped us with our homework after dinner. When report cards came home, it would be a big scene. Each of us kids, chewing our finger nails in worry that our grades wouldn't be good enough to get to go out to eat. But they always were. We would dress up in our finest and go out to Chinese, or Mexican. Not realising that other families did this all the time. My family even had code words that would let the kids know if we could order soft drinks or if 'water was good for me thanks'. Not sure how I got on this rant about my childhood, but the point is, that through it all, my dad did what made him happy. Today the business is supporting seven employees, we are known in the community for quality craftsmanship, and I am loving being a part of it all. We have joined a consulting firm who help remodeling companies refine their business, learn how to understand all the finance statements, how to simplify and streamline all the processes, how to best grow your company (do you continue to work in-house, do you sub out more and more, how to control quality when subbing out?). We have traveled to Baltimore, New York, Raleigh, Richmond, and Cincinnati for this group and have more coming up. The work place experiences I am gaining from being a part of all this is amazing! I can't believe how wonderfully this all fits with my 'bigger picture dream'.

...better get back to work, speaking of work. I have so much to do today. I will continue my rant on happiness another time.