I remember Kirsty Young talking to Chris Evans about happiness,
how she’d been misquoted in the press and what she was really saying was that her
ambition for her children wasn’t simply for them to be ‘happy’ per se. Life brings its
challenges and striving simply to be ‘happy’ through everything, though an
appealing goal, was one destined to fail. Kirsty said that to ‘know’ those
fleeting moments of happiness, those moments when you just want to sigh and
say, yeah, this is GREAT, to hold on to them and appreciate them, makes for
more contentment. Hallelujah! I’ve been saying for years that you ‘have to be
down to be up,’ and Kirsty’s given me a much more eloquent way to express it. So,
that’s what I bring you this week: three fleeting, and not so fleeting, moments
of happiness which made me stop and smile.
Bluebells. I turned a corner, and there they were. I stop for time
or no man when I run, not, I hasten to add, because I’m incredibly fast,
dedicated or even sticking to a training plan (try as I might to bring some
discipline into my running, after ten years of the darned thing, I haven’t
managed it yet). No, generally I’m on a tight schedule, have given myself a
certain time slot which leaves five minutes at the end to get back into the
house, make a cup of tea, shower, stretch, look at the post, chat to the
neighbour…and be back at my desk. But, on this glorious Tuesday morning, I was
compelled to pause, to recognise the almost artificially bluey-purple scene, appreciate
how lucky I am to have this on my doorstep, and take a photo for posterity.
The second moment was the unveiling of the bottom of my ironing
basket. In truth, this moment actually preceded the bluebells - I had to
achieve the empty basket before I could allow myself the run - but I thought if
I started with the ironing, those of you as keen as I am on the fetters of
domesticity, might wander off.
Apart from that heady day over two decades ago when purchasing the
wretched thing, I cannot remember every seeing this ironing basket empty. Most
days I iron. I can’t bear to do it in one shift. But I always leave a few items
languishing at the bottom of the basket, just to deny me the satisfaction of
crossing the ironing off the to-do list. Not this day! It’s a simple thing, but
it made me smile enough to reach for my camera again, even if it was the most transitory
of my wafts of happiness, only lasting until the next instalment of misshapen clothes
had been peeled from the radiator.
And now the third. This has given me more than a moment of
satisfaction although the subsequent wait is bordering on torture, grateful as
I, unequivocally, am. From the general
junk of my in-box trying to convince me that a 50% discount on false nails would
make my life complete, as would a cut price holiday to somewhere very hot
leaving tomorrow, together with the news that an EBay item has been re-listed and
a company with far too much time on their hands are still harbouring the
misapprehension that anyone other than my wonderful mother makes my curtains, the
words, ‘Both your entries have been shortlisted’, greeted me one fine morning,
The First Chapter Competition is run by the Oxford Editors http://www.theoxfordeditors.co.uk, an international literary consultancy
and agency, and I entered samples from Glass Houses and my current Work In
Progress, Misguidance. The constant clicking on the website boasting no further
news has caused me some distress, as well as a touch of arthritis in the
clicking finger, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Shortlisting is great,
a win would be a champagne moment and until the Fat Lady Sings, I can still
dream, can’t I?
So, distract me! What are your fleeting moments of happiness?
Please share!
