Someone once compared happiness to activity, describing it a running stream, not a stagnant pool.  I’ve found that the times I’ve been the happiest are also the times that I’ve been most active.  Indeed, my most vivid memories of felicity center around those occasions when I accomplished a goal relevant to my particular stage of life.
     As a child, my happiest time occurred when I learned to read.  It was as though the secret code of the printed word was revealed to me. Being the youngest in my family meant I was the last one to learn to read.  At last I could carry books to read on the bus.  My mom would take me to the public library to check out Winnie the Pooh and Curious George books with my very own library card.  I remember how excited I was to finally move up to reading Little House on the Prairie and Nancy Drew books.  Indeed, being able to read materials that didn’t contain a lot of illustrations was really important to me. Learning to read advanced me from the stage of being a baby to that of being a student.
     As a teenager, getting my first job stands out as a happy time. I thought working at Burger King was a giant step toward being independent. I compared being able to take an order correctly and making change to brain surgery. I never wanted to miss a day of work and would always be willing to work more hours, for now time was truly money.  That first paycheck for $100 seemed at the time like thousands.
     Finally, the birth of my daughter, Samantha, was a time filled with happiness as an adult.  I was reaching my goal of being a parent.  I wasn’t at all sure of my qualifications, but I had read extensively and couldn’t wait to get started with this new stage in my life. I didn’t know until after the birth whether I had a girl or boy.  The anticipation of the birth and not knowing the sex of the baby made this event even more memorable.  I remember Dr. Lott counting all ten fingers and all ten toes before ever mentioning the fact that my baby was a girl.  Samantha was certainly not a Gerber baby with her long, skinny legs and cone-shaped head; nevertheless, I couldn’t have been happier with my baby daughter.
     In conclusion, happy times for me all involve attaining a goal. My next goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree and become a teacher, for that will surely be a happy occasion. As life goes on, I plan to set more goals to keep me active and happily moving forward to the next stage of my life.