HAPPYtown BLOG
HAPPYtown Stories from the past.Child Life Specialists take Chicago
Have you ever been with a group of people when their positive energy is infectious? People laughing and joking around. Dancing while they walk, maybe even wearing crazy costumes. It just pulls you in and you can’t help but smile! This is exactly what we experienced last week at the Child Life Annual Conference in Chicago.
This is our third conference in four years. Every time it is better and better. It was so great to see some familiar smiling faces we have seen all three times, like Sami. Three years ago she was a student seeking to become a Child Life Specialist. Now she IS one and teaching others! Sarah is another one we have seen every year. She always has a smile and a hug for us as well as encouraging words. A large part of HAPPYtown exists because of people like Sami and Sarah helping us, teaching us and supporting us all along the way. This year, we met Child Life Professionals from Canada, Australia, Japan, even Kuwait as well as some who were traveling to Malawi and Myanmar. All remarkable and inspiring people.
We are just in awe of these amazing unsung heroes who help children through a wide variety of stressful and potentially traumatic events. To be a Certified Child Life Specialist, they have to have a bachelor’s degree from an endorsed academic program or a degree that includes 10 college courses in areas such as Child Development, Family Systems, and Loss/Bereavement. And then they have to have a 600 hour Child Life Clinical Internship! Wow!!
They have to be passionate to go through all this education and training. But we really feel the passion when we get to talk with them. Last year they talked about needing help with children in hospice situations or those grieving the loss of a loved one. This year they talked about needing help with children with diabetes, autism and sickle cell anemia. But the common bond all CLS’s have is they all care so deeply about reducing fear, anxiety and pain for their children, adolescents and their families going through what can be the most difficult times of their lives.
So if you REALLY want to make a difference in the lives of those who need help, become a Child Life Specialist. Read more about it at www.childlife.org.
You are our heroes!!!
A morning at the office
This morning, I was in my HAPPYtown satellite office. Sunshine streamed through the window. Around me I could hear people talking about the events of the day and music was playing in the background. A car drove by with a big German Shepherd with its head out the window biting at the wind. My HAPPYtown satellite office is table 110 at McDonald’s. Mayor Stacey and I have had many staff meetings in this office. We have spent hours discussing the founding of HAPPYtown and expansion plans for the various neighborhoods.
Today, I was by myself eating breakfast and writing a memo when a mom, her four year old daughter, and baby son sat at a table near me. The little girl insisted on sitting beside her brother. She was also very clear that she wanted to eat ALL of her pancakes. She would take a bite and look at her brother and then take another bite. You could tell she loved being a big sister. It was time for the family to leave. As they got up, I asked the mom if her daughter liked stickers. “She LOVES them.” I handed her a HAPPYtown sticker. She smiled so big and showed it to her mother. The little girl said in a shy voice, “thank you…” After that, I decided to try the pancakes and smiled the whole time I ate them.
This is what the HAPPYtown Gazette is going to be all about: Stories that make smiles. So click on the orange box to the right and tell us what makes YOU smile!
WiLDLiFE
Brent and I, with our two kids, used to live in a house next to the University of Kansas campus. Our neighbors were two fraternities and one sorority. Surprisingly, they were great neighbors. A loud party here and there, middle of the night naked basketball games in their parking lot, an annual egg throwing fight…it was the college version of “wildlife”. And we loved it. However, in a strange sequence of events, we found ourselves going to an Open House way way way out in the country. It felt like HOME the minute we pulled in the driveway. Next thing we knew, we were trading our city house with the folks in the country. The first night in our new house, we heard owls hoot, coyotes howl and the wind rustling the leaves. It was our new “wildlife”. And we loved it!
It has been 20 years since we traded city “wildlife” for country “wildlife”. We have seen a lot of creatures….snakes, big hairy spiders, bobcats, turkeys, deer families, bald eagles, possums, raccoons, an albino skunk, red-tailed hawks. You name it and we have seen it. This winter, we put out a new bird feeder and suet cage in the yard. It did not take long for the birdies to congregate. After a few days, a big red squirrel with a huge bushy tail arrived. At first, he sat in the tree, intently watching the birds flying in and out with seeds. He finally went out on the tree limb, carefully approaching the feeder. He crawled down the hanger and got his snack. It became his daily ritual to feast along side the birdies. The squirrel eventually figured out how to knock the feeder to the ground, eating to his heart’s content. We tried different styles of feeders… squirrel hoods, longer hangers…but that squirrel remained persistent. He always found a way to get to that food. He was relentless, tireless, clever, industrious and pretty darn patient. No matter the obstacles, he never gave up. Last week as I watched him eating with his birdie friends, I found myself SMiLiNG.
This goofy squirrel is a lot like me. Persistent. Tireless. Patient. Chubby. And never gives up. You see, HAPPYtown is my “bird feeder”. My dream is that I will make others smile and keep them “well fed” with my own brand of happiness. What makes me smile? Today~ it is a plump red squirrel.
Sit in the Splash Zone
By Brandi L. – Jupiter, FL
I have learned that living a life that is serious and methodical is boring. For me, organizing and planning every minute of my day does not leave enough time for spontaneous fun. How can you stop and watch the world happen if you are too busy rushing to your next appointment? How can you find the “diamond in the rough” if you do not go off course? How can you have your aha moment if you do not allow your mind to drive it’s own creativity?
I am not a planner & I do not like to commit to schedule. Dinner reservations are too constricting. Planning a vacation a year in advance is confusing. How do I know what I want to do next October? Last year, on a whim I decided to take the kids to Sea World for the weekend. I had never been there & had no idea what to expect. I quickly found myself frustrated because if you have ever been to Sea World, you know having a bag is a major nuisance. You cannot take your bag on most of the rides & have to lock it in a locker at a few dollars a pop or lock it up for the day & run back and forth every time you need something. I found myself annoyed with the day because I seemed to be chasing my purse around all day. We finally got to the whale show & to be honest I was ready to leave. This is when my daughter asked if we could see in the splash zone. The splash zone? Really?
Now, I did not want to get soaking wet with killer whale water; but as a parent I took one for the team and we sat front and center in the Splash Zone. I put my hair in a hat & we sat there talking about whales & how wet we are going to get. She wanted to get there early so we could get good seats, so we sat there for what seemed like an hour waiting. I watched people slowly trickling in around us putting ponchos on & tucking socks in backpacks thinking they are just going a little overboard. How wet can you get? Geez people.. Don’t sit here if you are scared of a little water.
Well…in case you haven’t been, the splash zone is NO JOKE! Not only are you given a literal bath by killer whales, you are given a saltwater bath. We were drenched from head to toe in freezing cold, stinky whale salt water! Even my hat didn’t keep my hair dry! Our clothes were stuck to us & our shoes were slipping off our feet. I was in absolute awe of the amount of water you could squeegee off of us. This turned my upside down day all around & we just stared at each other in our yucky wet clothes. We stayed after the show & watched people drying themselves off. We watched women trying to fix their hair & makeup & just laughed at the people watching.
By the time we got back to our hotel, our hair was almost dry, but incredibly crusty from the salt water. It was so gross, but yet hysterical. Had I planned this day, I would not have planned the splash zone. Being spontaneous in this one little attraction made our trip. Taking the time to stop and enjoy the little things is what makes a lifetime of memories. When my kids talk about our little getaway, this is what they remember. It isn’t the big & expensive souvenirs. It isn’t the lavish hotel or the trip you spent a year obsessing over. It’s the little moments of unplanned gut laughing fun that make a difference & those moments make me smile for no reason at all in the middle of the day.
I try to find fun in every day. My kids are always wondering if the trip to the dentist is actually a dentist appointment or are we off to another adventure. They never know what to expect & in that, we always find a way to laugh whether it is a weekend getaway or a boring doctor appointment. I encourage you to stop planning & find a way to change the direction of your day. Find your own splash zone & do not be afraid to sit in the front row! I promise you, your life will be rich with laughter & full of amazing memories you can look back and smile for no reason in the middle of your boring work week.
Deebles
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