"Do What Makes You Happy"

I remember sitting in the living room of my apartment a couple years back. I wasn't happy and didn't know what to do about it. I was talking to my roommate and pretty much decided on the spot to move to Chicago. It was purely based on me enjoying Chicago while being frustrated in DC.

After I made that decision my roommate's mother came to visit. She wanted to say goodbye since we had been fairly close while I was in DC. It was a sad parting, but an exciting one at the same time. What she said, however, reveals so much about her and about her impact with whomever she encountered. She told me that I need to do what makes me happy. This wasn't the first time she said that, nor the last. I can say that I took those words to heart and have tried to live them every day.

Do what makes you happy. It's a simple sentence with a complex order. We often hear people complain about their jobs, their homes, the city they live in, the friends they have. If we did what makes us happy, would we still be working? Would we move to the countryside to escape the trappings of the big city? Would we start a new life in a strange place?

What makes me happy is taking risks. That's why I like what I've been doing. Granted, the risks don't always pay out, but that's part of the fun.

What makes me happy is close friends. That's why I always make it a point to visit them when I come into town.

What makes me happy is going to new places That may be why I seem to move all the time and come up with new locations to check out.

That wasn't the only thing I took with me when I left DC, it wasn't even the only thing I took from my roommate's mother. As I mentioned earlier, we had been fairly close while I was out there. Some of the greatest memories involve her; a birthday gift (which I will always cherish) wrapped in box after box with each individual box wrapped, a trip to Monticello so I could indulge in my history addiction, trying new wines just because the label looked fun.

When I lived out there, I could see why everyone gravitated towards her. She cared for everyone who came into her home. Anyone who was friends with her daughter was treated with such great respect, and usually a great meal, that it was hard not to think of her as another mother, which is why many ended up calling her Mom. I knew a truly special woman while I was out there, and felt better off for it.

I haven't been back to DC since I made that decision and moved to the Midwest. I did talk to her a few times, letting her know how I was doing and that I was doing what made me happy. She always said she was glad to hear that and could tell just by my voice.

With friends getting married in October, I had planned to return to DC and see her again. But that wasn't meant to be. When I return to Virginia in a couple weeks, I'll be going to say goodbye to an amazing woman. It's surreal to think of it all, and I'm not sure if it has really sunk in completely.

I can only hope to keep her memory alive by doing what makes me happy. It seems like the right thing to do.