happies

i must admit to being a 'southern girl.' and not for the very reasons i dub other girls as southern: 1) updo poofs and 2) ridiculously outrageous accents (non of which are bad things). one who has lived in the south for most of their lives, as is my case, can also be labeled southern, accent or not. so here i am: admitting to being apart of the southern culture. i may not sport the famous 'updo poofs' nor have an accent; however there are things that i've been accquainted with while living in the south, that i'll carry with me whatever region i may end up living. one of which i am most grateful and would like to share it with you today.

while growing up in the south, i remember my mom was always infamously popular for giving "happies." whats a happy? you say, ah, well let me inform you. a HAPPY is something, usually a physical object, that is given to someone for no apparent reason, like a gift, except it's dubbed a 'happy' probably because that's what it does to the recipient. it makes them happy, happy to be recognized for no apparent reason, happy to be given something that they love or enjoy and are surprised by it. in the 'happies' case, a little goes a long way. its a simple and thoughtful thing to do. and as i mentioned, it was something for which my mother was famous. and it wasn't or still isn't the actual receiving of a happy that makes me happy. as i watched my mother give happies randomly to people, i recognized that the best part of the happy was watching people's faces light up and enjoying with them the joy they experienced from the random act of kindness. she is the most generous person i know. its one of the may things about her people love, aside from her precious personality. its a quality of hers, i am proud to say, i inherited. i feel more blessed giving than receiving. and for that, i count her personally responsible.
i hadn't heard of anyone giving 'happies' until i moved to jackson about a year and a half ago, when a dear dear friend of mine, blindsided me with one. i think i may have been more excited that she refered to it as a 'happy' than the very gift itself, but nonetheless she is the only other person i know to make reference to one as that... which makes a 'happy' in itself quite unique. though, i do know this is a common gesture among people in the south, (as it probably is elsewhere. i just notice it more frequently down here) its just refered to as something different. so, next time you feel like doing something out of the ordinary for even the most random person, don't hesitate. do it. give and experience a 'happy.'