They say happiness is contagious; that is travels like waves and that all you need to spread it is a smile or a good deed.  But where does the smile come from? What is the source of the happiness wave?  This chilly, gray, and rainy November morning in the pasture was the start to just another normal if not mundane day.  I was doing my morning chores of feeding and mucking when ripples on the pond caught my eye.  My curiosity made me stop what I was doing, park the wheel barrow, and walk over to the fence line.  There in the middle of the pond was a solitary goose preening and flapping and from what I could tell thoroughly enjoying himself.  He looked so happy just splashing and being a goose while members of his flock peacefully mulled along the surrounding lawn.  It made me think about my daughter swimming and splashing in her aunt’s pool during a down pour.  Why would she get out just because it was raining?  Wasn’t she already wet?  She was so happy just to be in a pool that nothing was going to “rain on her parade”.   And I was so happy seeing her happy that I patiently watched her from underneath the patio umbrella.   On this morning the goose is sending out the good vibrations.  He is the source of these circular waves that ripple through the pond.  He is the reason I have a smile on my face today.

The image of the goose frolicking in the pond on a rainy morning stuck with me.  I had a day of errands to run – oil change, food shopping, banking, and whatever might need to get done before the end of the day.  I’d be lying if I said I was looking forward to it. But part of being a grown up is doing the things that don’t always light me up. I was prepared – book, shopping list, a plan of attack to make the trip into town as streamlined and enjoyable as possible.  When I pulled into my third stop, Honda for an oil change, I was still smiling.  Two errands were done and I was looking forward to sitting down with my book and relaxing while the car got much needed attention.  Plus, I was excited about using my $10 coupon. 

The second I pulled into the bay my smile turned into full blown laughter.  There in front of me were two men – an older, portly man in a sweater and tie and a younger trimmer man in a hoodie and sunglasses.  Man number one was attempting to coax the second one out of the bay and into the waiting area.  Classic manager/customer stuff.  But what made me laugh was the technician waving me forward clueless to the men directly in front of my car.  As I patiently waited for one or all of them to realize my predicament I couldn’t help but to be amused.  When the path was cleared and I was able to park and exit my car, the technician instantly commented on my good mood.  And with that the ripples moved through the service bay of Honda.  The technician was smiling.  The manager came over to ask how my car has been holding up and he was smiling and joking. The service advisor came over for my information and asked why I was so happy.  I could only respond with, “I’m getting shit done AND I have a coupon”.  He laughed and wrote a note about it.  Then I was off to read my book.  An hour later I’m paying my bill and what do you know I got $15 off.  This oil change cost less than if I did it myself!  The service advisor said my good mood and my husband’s unique email address warranted an additional $5 savings.  I told him that when I get the email for a review that I’ll be sure to comment that if I could I’d give more than 5 stars.  So I left Honda happy as could be and hopefully the service department caught the contagion.  Maybe it would spread to the next customer.

Feeling good is great.  But feeling good and making others feel good is even better.  My fourth stop, Shop Rite, would normally stress me out but nothing was going to kill my buzz.  I was prepared – list, coupons, bags, and fortitude to deal with the crowd.  I moved through the aisles like a gazelle at first and then like a wounded water buffalo as my cart became laden with too many items.  But I was still smiling.  I am a master food shopper when I’m prepared and this trip will save me in the long run when I don’t need to make another one for a while.  When I finally limped my way to checkout I was surprised and grateful that there wasn’t a line but I could tell the young cashier was tired and alone.  I bagged like a pro and made quick work of the mountain of goods.  When all was said and done and the cart was filled with my bags I handed her my coupons and she thanked me for bagging.  Before the bill was totaled she came around to the cart and pulled out a bag of sugar and replaced it with another.  She offered an explanation that I grabbed the wrong size so my coupon wouldn’t be valid.  That little act was so thoughtful.  And the bill showed that I saved $120.  This day just got better.  Do I dare say the wave of happiness was spreading?

With thirty minutes to spare I headed home.  Today I agreed to have my friend’s son and daughter over until their dad got home from work. It’s not normal for me to have visitors after school but my kids love her kids and she needed my help so I did not hesitate to say yes.  Let’s just keep spreading the joy! Nothing makes my daughter happier than playing with her friends and my middle-schooler, although moody, can’t resist being part of the fun.  I must admit this normal day was an exceptionally great day. I didn’t do anything I particularly enjoyed.  I just did what I had to do.  But it was how I did it that made the day so good.  I did it with a smile, with laughter, with openness.   I smiled and I made others smile.  We laughed together.   I helped and was helped in return.  I know it could have gone much differently and maybe it would have if I hadn’t witnessed the solitary goose making waves on a pond.