What I know makes me happy

I knew that going to Brazil was going to change me as a person, but what I didn't realize is how much. It's hard to describe in words (especially because this chic is NOT a writer) the experience I had and how I view things back at home. The best way I know how to do this is to share what I thought made me happy before going and now that I am back, what I know makes me happy.

Things that I thought made me happy:

nice clothes

ipod

iphone

computer

fancy Restaurants

granite counter tops/nice, big house

big screen tv

nice car

(You get the picture)  Before leaving I thought THINGS made me happy, as most of do!

What I NOW know makes me happy:

My husband

Dogs

Family and Friends

God

Warm shower

Popcorn and Coke Sundays with Bryan

Laughing

My health (and access to medicine)

A good book

Being back home, I know that THINGS are not actually what make me happy. Things are a temporary high that dies off after a week or two. Think about it, you go buy an ipod. Two-three weeks later you are used to it and it no longer fills that void.

But being able to: talk to my husband regularly and share my day, have my dogs every day be so excited to see me when I get home, play mexican train, pictionary, and cranium with family during holidays, have good friends that stop what they are doing and show up and laugh with you when your car breaks down in the rain, sit around and laugh about memories until my stomach hurts with our friends "the Morrows", all these things are what really fills my cup!

Being in Brazil, it broke my heart to see that the kids I worked with didn't have books in their classroom, toys to play with or a fan to keep them cool. I felt frustrated while I was there because with the language barrier and the lack of resources at my disposal, I felt as though I wasn't contributing anything. Yet in the end the true resource while I was there was ME. I was giving these kids the attention and patience. I was drinking imaginary tea and eating imaginary food. We took turns pointing to almost every item in the room and saying what color they were. We sang head, shoulders, knees and toes in Portuguese every day. These are the things that made the kids happy and helped them learn; that's what filled their cup.

What fills your cup?