Beautiful words from our Quiet Computer Guy, Gregory C. Johnson.

What Makes You Happy?

Quite the title; isn’t it?  Do you really know what makes you happy?  Have you ever just sat down and thought about it?  Coming from the background I did, growing up where I was mired in a negative environment, and where I was never really was shown any love or affection by my family … I wrestled  with this for many years.

There is one thing that stands out for me where I can go and feel the joy of happiness; music.  I have been enamored with music since I was very little.  My grandfather gave me my first drum when I was three years old.  As a small child, I would sit for hours in front of the stereo singing along to my parent’s records.  Even thinking of that now brings a warm feeling to my heart.

As I grew older, my mother supported me and my fascination with music.  She started me with drum lessons; I then took up guitar and bass guitar.  There were even some piano lessons in there for a while.

The first band I played in was our Youth Choir combo at church.  I have played many places over the years in many different situations from small clubs to large summer festivals.  Playing or listening to music has brought me many happy moments my life.

Yet, music is not what really truly makes me happy.

As I said earlier, I wrestled with the thought of true happiness for quite some time.  I didn’t find out what true happiness was until later in my life when by some miracle of God’s intention someone was brought into my life that showed me how being truly happy could feel.  So now, I suppose, you think you know how this all turns out; you meet the person that makes you feel all warm inside, it becomes a mutual thing, and you live happily ever after.  That is the way things are supposed to work out, right?  But that is not what God intended for me.

As happens with many things in life, things were not meant to be as what my heart’s desire prayed for. When that happens, it is our nature to question why, to wonder what is wrong with us, to put blame on God for putting us in a situation that causes our heart to ache.  I went through that same thing.  Then I realized that God put me into this situation for a reason.  I sat and meditated for many an evening looking for some answer.  Over time, I did begin to realize that what I was looking for –  love from someone else – was not the only thing that could make me happy.  With God’s help, I discovered that giving love without condition is another thing that can truly make me happy.  It is the joy of doing something for someone for no reason.  It is the joy of surprising someone with a small gift or a compliment that makes them smile.

I am content and happy with the situation I am in thanks to God’s design of bringing this special person into my life.  She has helped me become a better person over the years without ever knowing the kind of effect she was having on me.  She is still the number one thing that makes me happy, but my eyes and heart have been opened to letting in other avenues of happiness to make my life complete.

So what makes you happy?

~The Quiet Computer Guy