Happiness is Support

Well, it’s good to be blogging on The Happiness Corner again after being unable to last week. I caught a bad fall cold and was down for the count. And that’s what I want to talk about today. Support. Support that makes us happy.

I was guided to call a friend of mine to see if she had a homeopathic remedy for a cold. I have my own, but reached out to her. She actually had two for me. One involved some paste with essential oils in it. She offered to make me some and bring it by. I was deeply touched by this because she’s busy like the rest of us. Plus, I was sick. 

She met me at the door, her three kids in the mini-van out front. And I found that bubble of happiness peek through even the worst of the cold. Here she was, supporting me. When I wasn’t at my best. When it wasn’t the happy-g0-lucky me. When I needed her.

Reaching out to others is hard for some of us. I had to laugh, but even as I downloaded the photo for this blog (the heart), the code I had to enter was “Go It Alone.” Why do we feel so compelled to do that? And why do we judge people sometimes for breaking that code? 

One of my favorite moments in FRENCH ROAST  was when Jill Hale got up to help Peggy McBride make dinner for her son. She had this moment of disorientation, so used to doing it all by herself as a single mom. Then she remembered to say thank you. 

Sometimes that’s all we need to do.

Independence can be a good thing. We do need to be able to do some things on our own, and it’s a valuable piece of our evolution. But we’re also interconnected. People are all around us, having their moments in life, catching colds, whatever. I had to tell myself there was nothing wrong with reaching out.

And do you know what? I realized it again: being supported makes me happy. I like knowing I have people I can depend on. And having my friend show up like she did with this paste, her three kids yelling in the car, well it was its own remedy. 

So, let’s all try and remember that it’s okay to ask for help. To receive other people’s support. We don’t have to go it alone. We can choose our moments of connection. 

With that kind of happiness available, we’re all better off reaching out when we need it.

 

Image courtesy of samuiblue at FreeDigitalPhotos.net