Reece Gardner: Happiness lies in the happiness of others

Before I get to my main topic today on happiness, I want to highlight some deadlines pertaining to our big and very important election this year. Be sure that you are registered to vote. Regular Voter Registration forms must be postmarked or delivered to your county board of elections office by 5 p.m. this Friday, October 9. However, voters may also same-day register at any one-stop early voting site from October 15 to October 31. 

The deadline to request an Absentee Ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by Tuesday, October 27, and can be returned, if so desired, by hand. Absentee mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, November 3. In next week's column, I plan to talk rather in-depth about this upcoming election. Please be sure to vote!

Now, on a scale of 1-10, how happy are you today? Hopefully, we can all respond with a high number. It's really up to us. 

I was in the construction business several years ago and was intrigued by the example of the elderly carpenter who was planning to retire. The contractor was sorry to see this good worker go, and he asked him if he would build one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but it soon became apparent that his heart wasn't in it. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. When he finished his work, his employer came, handed him the keys to the house, and said, "This is your house... my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked. What a shame. If he had known he was building his own house he would have done it so much better.   

So it is that we build our lives, one day at a time, sometimes putting less than our best into the building. Then, one day, we realize that we have to live in the house that we have built, and we wish that we could go back and do it differently.  The lesson here is that life is a do-it-yourself project. Our attitudes and the choices we make today help determine the "house" we will live in tomorrow. A second example comes from the many Seminars I had the privilege of managing over the years. 

A group of 55 people was attending this Seminar, and the instructor decided to conduct a group activity. He gave each attendee one balloon and asked each one to write his/her name on their balloon, using a marker pen. All the 55 balloons were then collected and tossed into an adjacent room. The participants were brought into the room and asked to find, within 5 minutes, the balloon which had their name on it. Everyone started frantically searching for their balloon, pushing and shoving in the process.

The 5 minutes ended with no-one finding his/her balloon. Each one was then asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes they all had their own balloons, and all of them were happy. Folks, our happiness lies in the happiness of others. If we give them their happiness, we will surely receive our own. 

Have a WONDROUS day!