My Happiness Project - the Year I became a Grown Up

It's Happiness Monday!  I love My Happiness Project, where I decided to spend a year "finding" happiness with the help of Gretchen Rubin and her awesome book.  Check out her website for more information.  And buy the book!  It's never too late to start your own Happiness Project.  

The year I became a grown up was is 2010.  Yes, ladies and gents, Missy turns 39 years old THIS WEEK and one would think I became a grown up long before now, but it is true.  This is my year.  

Why?  Why, Missy?  Why this year and not:

~the year I left for college, and learned to do laundry as an 18 year old?

~the year I got bought my first home and my first dog?

~the year I got married?

~the year I had Oldest?

~the year I had Youngest?

All of those years had "growing up" qualities that changed me, certainly, but in none of those years did I truly feel "grown up."  I felt more like a kid pretending to be a grown up, if that makes sense.  

This  year, though, it's different.

~We had thousands of dollars in home improvement costs this winter.  Nothing makes you feel like a grown up more than learning the consequences of letting things slide in your home.

~I said yes to a major leadership position that will begin this May and is a year long position.

~Husband and I are taking our first trip away from the kids this Spring as well.  I've never spent a night away from Youngest and I've only spent 4 nights away from Oldest - two of which were in the hospital having Youngest.  

When I started My Happiness Project in January, I mapped out the entire year, and it didn't include all of these big girl things.  I've since had to change much of the year of My Happiness Project to allow for the time the leadership position is going to require.  

To a certain extent, this makes me sad.  I thought I had it all set what "discovering my happiness" was going to consist of.  But I've now had to accept that part of discovering my happiness will be the growth and change that have accompanied the changes above.  

So what does "becoming a grown up" have to do with happiness?  Not much, except to say that happiness comes in all sorts of disguises and doesn't necessarily mean smiling, laughing and having an all around good time.  

I might learn in the second half of this year that happiness means giving of myself to a mission higher than myself.  

And no yelling.  No yelling is becoming one of My happiness project's keys.