Happy moment

It started when I got out of class. My professor, who usually holds us 15 minutes over time (the "good to the last drop" philosophy, I suppose), let us out FIVE MINUTES early, for a net gain of 20 minutes! I packed up my pens (one blue, one purple), bagged up my notes, and joined the stream of students pouring out of the auditorium.

Stepping outside was a pleasant surprise. The morning's close dampness had entirely disappeared, and the air felt clean and fresh and about 10 degrees cooler than I had expected. I took a deep breath and started whistling.

As I walked through the park I noticed the leaves. The sugar maples overhanging the path were still green; like ladies pulling out gray hairs, the trees had dropped the early signs of autumn and the brick sidewalk was strewn with crimson-edged leaves. I stopped to take a picture for my cell phone wall paper.

My car was waiting faithfully for me in the parking garage, and there was no traffic as I pulled out onto the road. The light was green! I made it through. I rolled down my windows, relishing the cool, dry air after such a long and hot summer.

The next light caught me, but, just to make up for the wait, a peppy, bouncy song came on the radio. I turned up the volume.

The timing for the last light was perfect; it was too warm in my car to wear my sweater, but there were just enough cars ahead of me at the red light, waiting to turn right, that I was able to wriggle out of my cardigan before it was my turn to go.

When I got out on the highway it was wide open. No cars in sight. Cotton-batting clouds covered the sky, with just enough sunlight peeping through to turn the edges golden. My hair blew in the breeze. I was still singing along with the radio. I was thinking about not having class tomorrow, being a little ahead on my assignments, and forgetting (temporarily) about the midterm exam I had been worried about.

It was a Very Happy Moment.

When I came onto the interstate, the friendly cars scooted over to make room for me. We all drove together, moving in and out almost like a choreographed dance routine where some came on, some went off, but all kept moving.

"And I think to myself....what a wonderful world...."

I parked in the best parking place at the apartment, right next to the sidewalk. I walked into our nice new apartment, still pretty tidy from The Great Cleanup that took place last Saturday. Dinner's in the fridge, ready to be re-heated, the dishes are done for today, and I can have the evening off to spend time with my Scott when he gets home.

It's still a Very Happy Moment.

When I think about it, I could have more Very Happy Moments if I looked for them. Today there were so many Happy things I couldn't ignore them; how many do I miss on other days?

Let's look for Very Happy Moments... we might find them more often than we think.