The town where I work has an awful traffic problem. It’s gotten better in recent years with the addition of round-a-bouts (now that people have figured out how they work); the real problem is the amount of people that actually drive.
But this post isn’t about traffic. This post is about what makes you happy and by you, I mean me.
I mean, I want you to be happy, too. I just wanted to share this little thing that made my morning.
It all started yesterday.
What Makes You Happy
I had driven downtown to run some errands for work. I never drive downtown. Traffic is ridiculous downtown. Not West Los Angeles ridiculous but heavy and slow moving, even for this country-raised girl who’s used to driving behind tractors (and hitting them-a story for another day). But I had missed my secret turn off-my usual detour through the side streets.
So there I was sitting through one light after another, gloomy because this shopping trip for work was the only thing standing between me and my hour-long commute home. As I pulled up to the last light before the final turn that would lead me to freedom and speeds greater than five miles per hour, I glanced up and caught sight of this lovely:
A ferris wheel. Right smack in the middle of downtown. I’m not sure why this instantly made me cheery but it did. Maybe because it was unexpected. It was colorful. It was small and whimsical and made sitting through that last light more enjoyable and less irritating. I only wished I’d had time to to pull over and further explore it’s overnight appearance. My workday had been long and exhausting and I was anxious to get home, though, so I passed on by looking back in the rear view mirror until the last bucket was out of sight. That wheel stayed on my mind all night and again this morning when I awoke.
It was dark and gloomy this morning as I made my commute back to the city for another workday; the anticipation of the approaching holiday had me feeling lighthearted and hopeful. The looming rain clouds had me feeling apprehensive about finishing my work-shopping errand (I hadn’t finished the night before-had given up when the grocery store was too crowded to move) and I decided I should finish before heading into work. So that’s what I did. And, since traffic is SO much lighter in the a.m. I decided to purposefully drive downtown to catch another glimpse of that lovely wheel.
Not only did I spot it again, but my car practically parked itself into a spot just feet away. Ten more minutes late for work wouldn’t hurt, right?
I walked right up to that ferris wheel and gazed at its lovely colorful buckets and tried to remember the last time I’d been in one. 15 years? 20 years?
I took a few pictures and enjoyed to fresh ozone-smelling air. A rain shower had just ended and my pant legs became wet as my feet kicked up water from the pavement. I didn’t care.
I had decided to stop and gaze at something I’ve seen a hundred times before and couldn’t really explain why I felt the need to look closer. I did and it made me happy.
I’d love to hear what makes you happy in the comments below or you can always join in the conversation over at the Desperately Seeking Gina Facebook page.
Happy gazing!
