And I Was Happy

I was on the phone with a friend from Nashville on my way home from work tonight. I hadn't chatted with this friend since I'd moved out here because 1) it has only been 3 months and 2) those three months I've been gone happened to coincide with her busiest time of year.

But as I was talking with her and she was asking me about LA, my new job, my new company and life, I realized just how excited I started to sound. The words came out of my mouth so easily with a joy that was so natural, I didn't really notice it until the end. It made me realize that so much has happened in the last three months, but the big thing that has happened is that I'm happy. Not partially happy or "would be happy if. . ", but truly happy with where my life is and where it's heading.

Don't mistake happiness for complacency. I still have ambitions and plenty of goals. I just realize that it's time to take stock in happiness. Here's what I'm happy for:

• I got to travel across country on my own timeline with the man I love and meander through the country-side seeing all the sites that I wanted to.
• I got to move-in at my own pace to a place that we found by luck and only now realize how good of a deal it is. I got the time to arrange things the way I wanted them, unpack fully and get acclimated to my new neighborhood.
• In one of the worst economies in US history, I was able to steadily book job interviews for a variety of industries.
• I was also able to land a job in about 6 weeks of concentrated looking at a company that treats its employees exceptionally well.
• Said job is interesting and fits well to my skills and makes me realize how much I could offer.
• Chef and I are getting married and in a low-stress way.
• For some reason, I'm less hungry and have access to work out any time I want so I can try different restaurants and not weight 200+ pounds. . .again.

Happiness abounds and while I'm working to having a network of good friends in LA, I'm lucky I still have a bunch of great friends in other places that I can call.