“Let’s go Kiddo…. we’ll get away
from the noise for awhile.” Looking into her innocent eyes, I could
tell that she was affected even though she pretended the events didn’t bother her. Dressing her in jeans, a pink dress, one
pink sock, one purple sock, Dora the Explorer shoes, a purple Dora backpack, and a pink
sweatshirt we were off. We made our way to the main street and sat at
the bus stop, waiting with anticipation. A city bus may seem ordinary
to some, but to a three year old it’s an adventure. Stepping up the
big steps, we made our way to two seats in the middle. Wide eyed and
silent she sat, observing all around her. After a couple minutes, she
began asking questions: “why are we stopping?”, “what is this
called again?”, “why is she getting off?”, and much more. At
the stop near the McDonalds, a man with long scraggly hair got on. He
noticed her and smiled a huge toothless grin, which she returned
shyly. I noticed he had a cardboard sign and was most likely
homeless. With a black marker he 
had written, I am two fries short
of a Happy Meal. Pretty
ingenious if you ask me…. and even if he didn’t mean for it to, it
was also very thought provoking. As he stared out the window, lost in
his thoughts; I thought of how so many are two fries short. Happiness
is something we all strive for; and we all look for it in a variety
of ways. Drugs, sex, money, success, shopping, exercising, and so
much more. If I lose ten more pounds I will be happy, if get rich I
will be happy, if I get a promotion I will be happy, if I get high
then I am happy.
I
often question whether I am happy. After the World Race, I started
working the same two jobs as before and living the same life, per
say. I love everyone in my life and strive to show them it, I love
God more then anything, and I feel super blessed. Yet….. sometimes
I want to cry, sometimes there is an emptiness, a tug for something
more. Success and money mean nothing to me, exercising can become an
obsession too easily, I have no interest in doing drugs, and I hate
shopping; so I know those won’t bring me happiness. My thoughts are
often consumed with the injustices of the world and the pain I see
all around me. I feel displaced in my life and don’t feel
comfortable…. almost like there is an unease. And then I know that
it has to be something bigger then I could ever imagine…. it has to
be God whispering to my soul, filling my heart. I know that the next
year is going to determine a lot of my calling… whether it’s in
another country or in my own…. I know I will be following my
heart’s cry. No matter where I am, I know that I can have my Happy
Meal because I have God. We can search for happiness to the ends of
the earth, but the fact is it’s always been with us. It’s up to us to
recognize it and to accept that God is enough.
After
our picnic of water and Larabars, we walked to a bus stop to make our
way back home. Once on the 
bus she filled the time with endless
chatter: “we have to be careful so Swiper Fox doesn’t steal our stuff”, “these seats are big”, “why are we stopping?”, “who
is that lady?” “that man is old”‘ and other brutally honest
comments. Even after we got of the bus and were left in a trail of
diesel fumes, I realized that I had my Happy Meal…. I was fed by God’s
love through the little He gives me. It’s amazing how the innocence and truth of a child can do that
to you; and tomorrow when I am missing two fries, I will think of the
simplicity of my saviors grace.
