Happiness on November 29, 2009 - The happiness that is Chloe

Recently I've found myself increasingly negative and pessimistic. For the most part, I would generally just shrug my shoulders, take it for what it is, and move on. But last week I stumbled upon a text message my brother sent my dad where he referred to me as the "ice princess." And while I honestly feel that little nickname was probably written to be funny on his part, and if it wasn't, of course I feel it's pretty unfair since, while I'm sure he would disagree, I've been incredibly supportive of him, particularly in the last year - but regardless, it got me thinking....has my personality become difficult for people to bear? I will probably always be stubborn, single minded, and on occasion bitchy, but at the same time, I live a very charmed and fortunate life and I need to find more things to be happy and thankful about. So in a way, this will become my daily reminder to find something to be grateful for and to find something that makes me smile.

Today, that something is my 8 month old puppy, Chloe. Chances are she's going to be inspiration for a lot of days of happiness, but on this particular day, I took her to run some errands with me around town. She's actually a really good car dog, pretty much laying on my lap or trying to see out the window, but I don't often take her out in the car when I'm going to be getting in and out or where I have to leave her in the car. But today was a cool enough day out where I felt comfortable enough that I could crack the windows and leave her curled up on my front seat. Generally, if I'm running into Dunkin Donuts or something of that sort, I'll come back out and she'll be propped up by the window watching for my return. Today though, I came out of Michael's after power shopping for about 20 minutes and as I approached my car, there was no sign of Chloe. I almost had a panic attack but as I peered into my front window, there she was curled up in the drivers seat taking a little puppy nap in the sun. The best part though, when I unlocked the door, she popped up, propped herself up and gave me her happy little puppy smile. At that moment, I was happy. She made me laugh and there's honestly nothing better than the uninhibited welcome that only your dog can give you.

Lots of Happiness-

Jen