My daughter ordered a new sectional sofa, with recliners, for her new home that she purchased last spring. She vacillated for a long time before making the decision to commit to a somewhat costly purchase. The older, second-hand sofa and loveseat that she had, she believed, was contributing to her asthma and allergy problems. I suggested that letting go of the old furniture would be an important step because when we create a vacuum, the universe is happy to refill it with something new and better. I went with her to look at sofas in the local furniture store so she could get a feel for what she really wanted. Fortunately, the salesperson was not too pushy and my daughter listened to her intuition, saying that she wanted to “sleep on it”. There would have been a greater selection if she had travelled to a larger city where there are numerous other options. In the meantime, she searched some companies online. She remembered that she could use the military exchange to purchase furniture since she is active in the Army National Guard and she would not have to pay for taxes or shipping. It is always risky to purchase chairs online because you cannot look at the construction or sit in them, to determine if they are actually comfortable, but she made her decision and ordered what she wanted.
I helped her to list her old furniture. She simply wanted to give it away to someone in need. A young family came to get the furniture last night and we both felt good because we knew it was making this man, his wife, and his young son very happy. The new sofas arrived early this morning. They are, in fact, good quality and they are comfortable. My daughter is happy with her purchase and this makes me happy.
My middle daughter called to tell me that my grandson, who is almost 21, is moving out into a place of his own. He has held down a good job for the last few years and he now feels that he is financially ready to make this move. I am truly happy for him. When good things happen for the people we care about, it makes us happy too. This makes me think of pouring out a pitcher of water onto the ground. The water will spread out and run to that place where it flows naturally, unhindered. It follows the path of least resistance. When we are happy, we add to others’ happiness. The more happiness we experience, the more it can flow from us, to others. We can picture our lives as a pitcher filled with happiness, always gently overflowing and spilling out to those around us.
