All I can think about this week is that the 4th of July is coming. Even though I don't buy into that patriotism propaganda, it is one of my favorite holidays. I have a lot of good memories surrounding that day. I think I have a lot more of them coming as well.
Yesterday was a tough day for me. It is like bad news keeps hitting me from all sides. Then again some people's bad news is other people's great news. I just wish people would leave me alone when they know it is the best thing for me. It is nothing I haven't been through before and something I should expect, but the circumstances always make it harder. The only good thing about getting hit by a ton of bricks is that you were still numb from the last two tons that were just dropped on you. Get out of the construction sites my friend, you already knew they were not safe. I looked at the wooden cat on my dresser and decided it was time to put it with my garage sale items. I carry way too many garage sale items around with me.
Reminds me of my days in DC.
My Dad came up to visit Abram and I on Monday. He also came to help us install our electric fence so that Max will stop digging out. I'll let you know how that goes. We had dinner and gave my Dad the tour.
There is a book I'm reading right now talking about how studies show that 50% of happiness is genetic and it is a base line you will always fall back to. 10% is money, looks, fame, relationships, etc. That leaves 40% that you can do something about. What that is? Well I guess I should keep reading. I hope it involves drinking or gambling. Here is somewhat related and uplifting article.
Why Having Kids Might NOT Make You Happy
According to this week's Newsweek article, having kids might not be all it's cracked up to be.The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our offspring. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor who's conducted several recent parenting studies, the most thorough of which came out in 2005 and looked at data gathered from 13,000 Americans by the National Survey of Families and Households. "In fact, no group of parents--married, single, step or even empty nest--reported significantly greater emotional well-being than people who never had children. It's such a counterintuitive finding because we have these cultural beliefs that children are the key to happiness and a healthy life, and they're not."And while this is the most recent study, it's certainly not the only one.
In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital satisfaction decreases dramatically after the birth of the first child--and increases only when the last child has left home. He also ascertains that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids. Other data cited by 2008's "Gross National Happiness" author, Arthur C. Brooks, finds that parents are about 7 percentage points less likely to report being happy than the childless.
Read the rest.I found a box of clothes I had not opened. You know, that clothes you don't want to get rid of and know you will get to wear one day. I went through it all putting a lot of of it in a real garage sale box. The nice stuff I gave to Abram and rest I hung in a special part of my closet called the "one day" part. I hate that part of my closet.
Off to Europe and not Austin
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