Rules to Happiness #48

It is sometimes necessary to resist the urge to be a jerk.

Rules to Happiness #47

Don't break down the wall if you don't want to deal with the rubble

Anne Morgan

Anne Morgan  was an American philanthropist who aided relief efforts to American Allies in Europe during the First and Second World War. She was well educated, well traveled, and did some pretty interesting things in her life. Anne Morgan died in the 1950's; I did not.

That begin said, I've heard my other name, (Annemarie) repeated as "Anne Morgan" more often than I care to recall. When I worked at the Church I would regularly see and hear my name misquoted. It got to be a regular joke among the Office Staff, so much so that I began writing a list. Below are some of my favorites.

Anne Morgan
Annry
Henrí
Henry
Emory
Emmy
Sabrina
Lilia
Sharon
Amber
Kris
Amy
Emily
Amberly
Ebony

Henry was my favorite; I got that at least once a week. Maybe I should try to pronounce that particular name a little better, eh?

Mama Said

"This too shall pass." This was Mama's favorite line when I was an emotional teenager... and even when I wasn't. Every stress, every fear, every lost chance, every disappointment- her helpful phrase was as constant as the sun rising. And believe it or not it helped. When my Abuelita passed two days before I ended the last Spanish class I ever took, this too shall pass. When my big brother got accepted to the college that I wanted to go to... by myself, this too shall pass. When the guy I had a crush on fell for my best friend, over and over and over again, this too shall pass. The words Mama said never failed; everything passed.

Now I'm not a teenager and for the most part my life has been pretty constant. I recently had a Chinese Fire Drill with my job situation and for a while I was quite distressed about that. And then I remembered, this too shall pass.  Everything passes. Bad days, good days, unremarkable days, but those words echo. Today I remembered another thing she taught me: everything happens for a reason.

If I had gotten that job with Google I would have been on pins and needles for a long time with an uncertain future. I wouldn't have taken that job at the University and I wouldn't have realized that I am quite good at organizing chaos. If I hadn't gone through that I wouldn't have had the confidence to try something so very different from my field. If I hadn't been brave enough to do that I probably wouldn't have been brave enough to... well never mind- he's a story for another post.

I think that my job situation has finally sorted itself out and I am quite content with my new position. Also, I have a window that has quite the loveliest tree and a squirrel who likes to make faces at me. And from my window, through the trees, I can always see the sky. And this too may pass, but for now I am quite happy with today. And I owe it, at least in part, to Mama.

Rules to Happiness #46

Sometimes good comes from bad.

Rules to Happiness #45

What will be will be; acceptance is vital.

Rules to Happiness #44

To all endings there is a new beginning.

Rules to Happiness #43

Not knowing is worse than a bad ending.

Pranks that I have never done but have always wanted to do

Get three goats and label them "One", "Two", and "Four". Release on a college campus.

Rules to Happiness #42

Resilience is helpful; making better decisions is better.

Rules to Happiness #41

Say what you mean and do what you say.

Rules to Happiness #40

Kindness matters.

Rules to Happiness #39

The Human Spirit is ever resilient; the human body is not.

Rules to Happiness #38

Being beautiful is easy. Being intelligent is hard.