On The Road to Happy

Maybe it's the full moon.  Maybe a couple of random planets are making mischief with emotional landscapes. Maybe it's the official onset of spring.  Maybe it's the cumulative angry voices we hear on the news, especially from my least-favorite-of-all-time candidate, The Donald. Whatever it is, many of us seem to be passing through some Stuff--or vice versa.

Sad, worried, disappointed, bored, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, invisible: these are some of the words I've heard lately--in conversations and emails with other people and in my own head.

My day yesterday became so incredibly packed that I didn't get to say Happy Birthday to Pam until 9:00.  A malfunctioning phone--again--took an hour at the AT&T Store and the phone is still working only sporadically.  Then a long drive to and from the breathing test (which I passed) and a chest x-ray, then a 4:00 hair appointment which lasted until 8:30! (My Georgia stylist would have had me in and out in an hour, for half the cost of this marathon session.)

But the 21-year-old stylist with turquoise-streaked hair was delightful.  We talked about politics and life.  While we are on two different sides of the political fence, it was a fair and respectful conversation.  "I wish the candidates could just talk to each other instead of yelling and name-calling," she said. "Maybe both sides would learn something."

When I looked in the mirror this morning, however, I was disappointed with the results--but oh well, it's just hair, after all.

Then two hours this morning with the ophthalmologist and the hair is overshadowed by the temporary but garish turquoise dye in and around both eyes.

On the upside of all these medical tests: nothing sinister has turned up and when I fill out the reams of papers at each office, I get to mark NO on almost every ailment.  In waiting rooms with amputees, breathing machines, and walkers, I feel incredibly fortunate.

My friend Diana has been valiantly working to train her huge rescue puppy who turned out to be a Rottweiler mix.  Roz has incredibly energy and enthusiasm and doesn't know her own strength.  On several occasions, Diana has found herself on the ground with scrapes and bruises after a walk with this independent canine.  In puppy school, Roz--it turns out--does not play well with others.

In an email yesterday, Diana, Wise One, said that we are companions "on the road to happy."  I loved that phrase!

Most of us are on the Road to Happy and most days we are There, but it's not a straight, level road.  Sometimes stones show up and we trip and fall.  Sometimes we find solace in telling our close friends that we're on a detour or have hit a road block.  And sometimes, sadly, especially in waiting rooms, we encounter people so sick and broken that they may not even know that there is a Road to Happy.