“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” Life at Green Gables was full of just such days, for Anne’s adventures and misadventures, like those of other people, did not all happen at once, but were sprinkled over the year, with long stretches of harmless, happy days between, filled with work and dreams and laughter and lessons.” Anne of Avonlea
According to the radio, yesterday was the International Day of Happiness. One interviewee dared to say that walking with the kids to school increases our physical well-being and therefore our happiness. L vehemently opposed this suggestion “walking will never make me happy”, complete with a frown and a stomp of his foot. His unfeeling mother replied “maybe we will have to walk longer then?”
I have been thinking of happiness this week and how to teach it to our children. There are have been tears over having to ride boyish bikes and not having new things. It seems that the person named “Others” always has new things.
Was it intentional that LM Montgomery used a broken treasure (that simple string of pearls) as an illustration of happiness?