Dear Insiders,
With intense interest, I perused last week’s “Happiness (or Lack Thereof)” issue. Well, to be frank, the available interest to be mustered was tampered by our 5-year-old’s rolling stream of inquisitions abut her self-created map detailing the drive to Disney World from Concord. (“THEN, which way would we turn Mummy, and WHAT is the name of that street?”) Perhaps equally distracting was the drone of “Dora Rescues the Snow Princess,” a coveted library DVD our 2-year-old had popped into the laptop when my back was turned. (“We did it! We did it, we did it, we did, yeah we did it, we did it, we did it, hooray!”)
Anyhow, thought it was a terrific, timely, tremendously important issue. However, there is a shockingly simple antidote to the pervasive crabbiness that was missing. If you want happiness, fulfillment, joy, and love . . . give it away!
We are all blessed with a myriad of opportunities each and every day to step up and give. Whether it be extra hugs to your kids, a letter to your grandmother, a genuine smile and “thank-you” to the store clerk, a donation to a family or nonprofit, free professional advice to a struggling firm or a few hours serving hot meals, the outcome of all these endeavors is universal and oft-heard: The more you give, the more you get. If you are looking to expand your avenues of giving, consider volunteering as a family with Special Olympics – I guarantee no one can be grumpy cheering on these amazing athletes.
In closing, to the Insiders, thank you for a superb issue; the centerfold of “happy” images brought back long-lost memories of my fifth-grade Trapper Keeper. And to the Concord community – if you recognized yourself as one of the grumps, get busy giving!
Kim Murdoch
Concord
Dear Kim,
Thanks for the feedback, and you’re right, we did forget a very important solution to the grumpiness epidemic. Thanks for pointing it out!
And seriously, why are programs for kids so repetitive?
Yours Truly,
The Insiders
Okay, so first it was the fun-size candy bars that made me cranky. Now all this craziness over grammatical errors and the mean spiritedness inflicted upon the wonderful people at the Insider has me all riled up. “Enough is enough,” I say, as I pound my fist on the table. If I had a red cape, I would fly up there and protect you.
Perhaps you should respond to all those grammar grumps by saying, “If being grammatically incorrect is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.” Or better yet, just to get their pants in a bunch, tell them: “If righting bad english is wrong than eye dont wanna bee write.”
Your friend,
Wendy Woodman
Dear Wendy,
We were very happy to hear from you, especially when we read the subject line of your e-mail, “Uncalled for and undeserved meanness being hurled your way.” We’ve been waiting weeks for just such an encouraging message. And you don’t need a cape – you’re already our hero!
Your BFFs,
The Insiders
