Where Happiness Resides

A few nights ago Tom and I happened upon a "free" season of Fixer Upper on our new 32 inch Roku TV. Man, oh man, there's nothing quite like viewing "demo day" or "the big reveal" on Le grande screen! Lest you think I'm being facetious, you need to know that we have been existing on a little 19 inch model for the past ten years. This thirty-two incher is like WAAAH... crazy big to us, but, I digress. Anyway, the episode from Season 3 we picked to watch was the one about the redo of the Shotgun House.

This particular house was a tiny 750 sq. ft. one bed, one bath. It was built in the 1920s and was supposedly one of only two that still existed in the Waco area. The cost to purchase and renovate (ahem) was approximately $130,000 all in, however, the final price escalated about $30,000 more due to the necessity of relocating the house to a new lot. I watched with mixed emotions as the show progressed from renovation of this truly historic style to a complete gut, including removal of the roof to accommodate the transport.

The final reveal was nothing short of miraculous. In true Chip and Joanna style, the new space sported open concept (which in my humble opinion totally negates anything remotely resembling "shotgun" style), gorgeous kitchen space, trendy hardware, and fabulous, built-in-place concrete sinks and counter in the bath. The rebuild of the roof and attic space was bumped up significantly to include 250 sq. ft. of bonus loft space. If you didn't mind that the redo looked nothing like the original, it was a genuinely cool space, as all this dream team's fixer uppers are.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Gaineses. I love shiplap, and I also love watching a good Cinderella transformation as much as the next gal. No, the thing that gave me pause was finding out that for all the eye-popping, mouth-covering "oohs and aahs" that were captured on film in the wake of their dream home reveal, this couple isn't keeping the house. Nope. It went up for sale not too terribly long after the keys were handed over. In fact, in an article defending the sale of their historic fixer upper, the owner admitted that the house had been occupied ninety percent of the time as rental property. It was probably Airbnb gold!

I don't know the particulars of why the couple chose to be part of the show or why they chose shortly thereafter to put the house on the market. It was probably just good business sense since the asking price at the time of the press article was a whopping $950,000. That's a cool almost $800,000 profit. I don't know if they ever sold the place or not, but in case you're interested, it's only blocks away from the Magnolia Silos and McLane Stadium. That's a deal, if I ever saw one.

I know, I know. You're wondering, "What on earth does any of this have to do with 'Where Happiness Resides'?" It's just that this story got me thinking. What's the definition of "happiness"? Is it tied to externals like getting to live in a genuine "Fixer Upper" or selling it at a killer profit? Does it exist outside of ourselves and our circumstances? Where can it be found and what determines its reality? Yeah, these are the things that come to me in the wee hours of the morning, or as I shower, or when I can't sleep. Weird, I get it.

There is definitely a difference between happiness and joy. Joy is independent of happiness. Joy can be found even in the places happiness refuses to go. Joy is biblical and internal, for it is complete in Jesus. This makes joy possible even when our world crumbles around us, because the joy He gives through His gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life transcend the temporal. Happiness, on the other hand, seems to be connected, even interwoven, with our experiences. Happiness, like beauty, is in the eye (or the attitude) of the beholder.

What makes us happy? I guess the short answer would be... we do. External circumstances can certainly provide the impetus for our emotions, both good and bad, but they can't determine them. Only we can do that. I guess that would mean that happiness exists because we choose it to. It's a choice, or hundreds or thousands of choices we make every day to be happy or not.

Yesterday I put a short post on facebook about a little pep talk I gave myself. After a few gloomy days and being grounded by a van that's spent weeks in and out of the shop, I needed a pick-me-up. The post was a reminder to myself. It read, "Thank you, God, for the gray days. Without them I would not SO look forward to the sunshine." That was my happiness choice for the day. I'm a Texas girl through and through. I crave the sunshine, and this lovely state generously complies. Sunshine makes me happy, but so does the rain.

I can look at an old photo from years ago and think to myself, "Those were happy times," and there were... lots of them, but happiness doesn't reside in the "what used to be" or even in the "somedays." Happiness resides in the here and now. It isn't stagnant. It's as fluid as life itself, and it travels with us.

There's nothing wrong with remembering happy times past or looking forward to exciting days to come. I do that all the time. I like to revisit the old days and smile as I think about the times my kids were little and wanted to climb up into my lap for me to read them a story, but I can HAVE happiness right now by reading to my grandchildren today. I can look forward with anticipation to special anniversaries on the horizon or to the time when Tom retires, but I can also enjoy THIS weekend as we spend time working together in the yard. When it comes right down to it, the only happiness I can grab hold of today is what is right in front of me.

Happiness is a choice... my choice... your choice. We can grumble at the day after day, same old - same old, or we can rejoice in it's provision. Either way, it's the same manna. Unfortunately, we're not much different from the Old Testament Israelites wandering in the wilderness. They always seemed to find their attitudes tied to their external reality. I think that's part of our flawed human nature, but we don't have to give into it.

I'd love a new cushy couch with plenty of leg room to curl up or lounge, but I get a lot of happy by just layering some soft quilts and piling pillows on the sofa I've got. I wouldn't say no to an all-expense paid trip to Italy if I won one, but I'm just as happy driving the hill country in Tom's old Jeep with the top down. A steak dinner at Ruth's Chris is amazing, but so is a picnic lunch of goat cheese and grapes spread out on a blanket under the trees. If it's true that life is what we make it, then it is certainly also true that happiness is in how we view it.

So today I choose to be happy, to rejoice in the God-given manna that graces both my life and my table. I will revel in the glorious sunshine and eat my crackers and cheese with delight. I might even decide to watch another episode of "Fixer Upper" and admire the handiwork, but if I do, I'll be sure to remind myself that all I need to be truly happy is an attitude willing to entertain it and a heart where it can reside.