The Pursuit of Happyness

Some would say I live in a small house.
The average U.S. home is over 2,400 square feet.



Not quite 1,400 square feet, my 3 bedroom/ 2 bath Craftsman does the job. We have a 1-car garage and no guest room but a mighty fine air mattress. There are definitely areas that could use some breathing space, but I almost never feel cramped in my living quarters.



I think the biggest reason for this is the fact that I don't like to keep things that have no use or special meaning to our family.



Related to that, I think it is a shame when items that we say mean a great deal to us, end up sitting in a box marked "Keepsakes" for years.



I try to make those things a continuing part of my life.

Here's a little example of how I put that principle into action in my own home:

J's grandfather (PaPa or Happy to his peers) was a big part of his life as a child. Sadly, he died of cancer when J was 10. Everyone I've met who knew him has stories of this larger-than-life personality -- a force to be reckoned with. J worshiped him.



I think all of us, if we are lucky, have someone in our lives that we connect to like that.
After J's mother passed away, his father gave us the flag she was given upon his burial. He was in WWII and a proud American.

We also have his domino set (something he often played with the family) and a bar he built.



I may have never known Happy, but I do know his legacy.
Now he's a part of my living room... and my life.