When you redefine happiness

When you redefine happiness

After traveling for 2 weeks in Europe, I feel like as an American I have it wrong. I feel like happiness equals  having really great things, like a huge house, a great lawn, really great knives costing $500.00, a very fancy car, with great shoes, great clothes, a great job, great kids and a great husband. EVERYTHING is perfect.

However, I am now thinking, what has TV  told me? How do I want to live my life? I really would like a job that I work for 10 months and then I have 2 months off to travel. Please don't send me links to becoming a teacher. One recent study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research looked at policies in 16 European countries, along with New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Australia, and found that the U.S. was the only one of the 21 countries to lack any kind of mandate for vacation time. Around one-quarter of all American workers have no paid vacation time at all.

 Having very little, great friends and the ability to travel is what I live for.  Being in Europe was so wonderful as I watch individuals every morning purchase fresh foods, live simply and enjoy "the moment". As an American I feel I am looking and planning the next moment and not enjoying the one I am in.I feel as if my society tells me the best moment in your life will be your wedding day and after that... well you should be perfect. You should have a fabulous career, 2 children, a dog, a huge house and wonderful items decorated just like it came out of HGTV. Now don't get me wrong I would love to have a little house and decorate it, but I don't think it has to be huge and I don't think it has to be decorated out of a magazine.

My goals this year was: $40,000 a year job. Which I did! However, it still does not fullfill my soul. Not being in a half-panicked, half-crazed, fight-or-flight state at work is seen in some places as shirking your duties or not being fully committed. When calling friends or co-workers, or even spouses, we're obliged to give a throat-clearing boilerplate apology: "Hey, I know you're busy, but I just had a quick question..." Yes, God forbid we waste a friend or loved one's precious work time with some actual human interaction. It's tolerated -- barely -- but only if the question is Very Very Important. And Quick. Then we can get back to the 72 things we each have to do before we wolf down lunch at our desks

I wanted  $40,000 dollars in the bank! I have $33,000, however if anything goes wrong I won't have any money in the bank.

I want 2 trips a year, and my own home. Well if I don't get a job that I truly want to go to everyday, then I won't be able to own my own home. If I land a new job and go to another organization, I won't have vacation time.
 So why? Why? Am I not happy? I want a life of traveling and freedom and great foods and great people and I want this all the time.  Has anyone ever felt as if their dreams and reality were not congruent?