Birthday in the Park

 

A request for a special 'Minnie mouse and her friends' first year birthday cake for a little girl turned into some thoughtful insights on my part.  I will write about the cake in a moment, but before I do I would like to ask you to define the word "happiness".  The theme park where Minnie and her friends reside is termed as the 'happiest place on earth' or so says the marketing. 

What is 'happiness'?  The dictionary defines it as a state of well being and contentment.  'Contentment' is the key word here.  When we are content we are at peace with ourselves and find very little reason for unrest or anxiety.  However, human nature is very strange and this feeling of contentment rarely lasts a long time for most ordinary mortals.  We are always looking for 'more' in everything and this in turn makes our state of happiness a moving target.  The feeling vaporizes within a short few moments of its birth and we struggle to find it all over again.  The constant pursuit of this feeling of satisfaction thus becomes a convoluted and turbulent facet of our lives and ends up robbing us of achieving a lasting happiness.  Sometimes, we don't even know what would make us happy!


Is the degree of happiness measurable in money? I honestly don't know. Money can surely buy the kind of misery we seem to enjoy and provide us with security in life,  but it cannot predict the future or ensure that things will certainly go the way I plan it to be.  So then, how do we make happiness an inherent part of our lives?  If you've ever visited the commercial 'happy place' which started this topic you will recall that there is indeed something magical about that land that makes a heart smile and dance.  It's the feeling of love, warmth, good cheer and wellness being wished all around.  The laughter of our children and the hugs all around  leave us very content and satisfied.  And it is this feeling of satisfaction that we must learn to nurture in our everyday way of life if we are to stay happy most of the time.


The cake in question was my first half sheet cake in a plain vanilla flavor.  Filled with banana and vanilla pudding it was topped with butter-cream frosting and hand-molded sugar paste Disney characters.  Here's wishing the smiling lil' Minnie (Siyona) a very happy one-derful birthday.