The Pursuit of Happiness

By: Travis Naughton

When my eighteen-month-old granddaughter and her parents dropped by our house last Saturday, Freya ran straight to me with her arms held high, eager to show me her new toy, and wordlessly asking me to pick her up. When I did, she immediately curled up in my arms and rested her head on my shoulder. While everyone around us engaged in a boisterous and happy conversation, Freya and I gently swayed back and forth in blissful silence. I closed my eyes and rested my head on hers while we continued to dance to a song that only she and I could hear. I kept expecting Freya to become restless and ask to get down, but she never did. After a week apart, it seemed that she was as happy as I was to be reunited once again. Happy isn’t the right word. Relieved isn’t either, though it’s not far off. Perhaps there isn’t a word to describe what we were feeling, but if you’ve ever spent time away from someone you love with every fiber of your being, then you probably know what I’m talking about.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal