Happiness Is The End Game

This billet is tough on me.  My family gets together and I miss it.  My friends get together and I miss it.  The foliage is beautiful in the North, and I miss it.  It just plain sucks when you feel homesick for your people and your places that you love.
That being said, what do you do when you know your situation sucks, and you have to bring yourself from the pits? You scratch, claw, and curse your way through it!  There is no other solution for happiness than hard work.  It doesn't hit you like a train on a track, like Florence says.  You have to find it in every moment your children laugh.  Or in your husband's loving embrace.  Or an unexpected day of fun.  The end game is holding on to a series of tiny moments.

My son and I had one of those moments this morning.  We were both covered in mosquito bites (a regular occurrence for those of us who like being outside in the bayou).  We were wrapping up a Boy Scout camping event and a lovely gentleman delivered a message that we both needed.  
The blue sky glowed through the Spanish moss hanging from the limbs above our heads as he talked about the difference just one person can make.  He asked how much our devices were stealing our family time and what else we could be doing with that time.  We stood there feeling an actual cool breeze together, receiving the message.  
Now my devices are required for my job, but that doesn't mean that I should be glued to them 24/ 7.  This motivates me to continue utilizing my 5:00 AM wake up to get myself connected with those I'm trying to help before homeschool starts.  That way there is no distraction while I am wearing my teacher hat.  I also get my work out in and get showered before any of the family even opens their eyes.  It's MY time.  Now I just need to stick to it, as I fall off sometimes in favor of my comfy bed and the snooze bar.
As for my boy, he got the message too.  His grades were not what either of us was hoping for on his first test.  He'd been hurrying through the academics to get to the video games on his laptop.  That's no longer an option.  We are both dedicating ourselves to our goals.  We are in this together.  We will not be defeated by circumstance!
Sure situations can be tough from time to time.  It just means that we have to be stronger and vigilant in our pursuit of happiness.  Though I'd love to say it gets delivered each month, like my wonderful food does, but that just isn't true.  Hard work is the key.  Dedication to the moments of clarity and savoring them is how we'll get to that end game.  A little more light will let itself into our worlds with every one of those moments.