The Happiest Times of My Life
Back in mid 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, one of the things that helped get me through was a Reddit thread asking “What were some of the happiest times of your life?”. Of course, as some responders pointed out, the happiest times of your life should always be Now. You don’t want to spend your whole life wishing for the past or craving the future. However, sometimes it is nice to take a blast to the past and remind yourself of life’s good moments. Here are my personal happiest times of my life.
The Early 2000s
Growing up in the early 2000s was a lot of fun. Technology was at a point where it was cool without being overly stimulating, and for the most part, civilization felt a bit less divided and segregated. Kids nowadays definitely have it good with the technology that’s available, but there was nothing like loading up a game on your XBOX console and plugging in a few controllers with friends at the house. We built skateboard ramps in the driveway. We collected CDs for our CD players and would go around bumping the newest albums. On weekends I would stay with my Dad and go camping, jet-skiing, or cook up exquisite meals at the house. During the summers my Grandmother and I would take trips across the state to visit different skateparks and skate shops. Overall, it was a cool time to be a kid.
A Whole Lot of Fun
There is no doubt that being at the age where I could first get behind the steering wheel were the most fun times of my life. There was nothing like being able to hop in your ride, listen to your favorite music, and go meet up with your friends. We held bonfires, took trips to the beach, went out to eat at restaurants, and stayed out a lot later than we should have. Driving to school put us all in a common spot, so from there we could pretty much ride out as we pleased and go have a good time. I was always doing something, and I had friends just about everywhere I went. Even if I was at school or work, in a lot of cases, we would make a good time out of it. In the evenings we would meet up and play basketball, on the weekends we would get together and party, and in the mornings we would drive to school with our sound systems turned up much louder than they probably should be. It was a whole lot of fun, and I’m very grateful for those experiences.
A Different Kind of Happy
As I started to get older, and friends started moving away for college and heading in different directions, life naturally became less fun and exciting. And for a number of reasons, I personally became less interested in partying, staying out late, and acting like an idiot. Life slowed down, and solitude became a more prevalent part of my day-to-day existence. It was around this time that I had to start looking to new ways to create happiness than the ways I was used to in the past. And honestly, in heading in this new direction, I feel like life became even happier than it was before. I spent a few years grinding at college, working part time, and working toward personal goals and ambitions in my free time. I took a lot of walks in nature. I would go out fishing at new spots in the area. I spent holidays celebrating with family. Along the way I found myself naturally becoming more grateful for the small things in life, and in a lot of cases, finding great joy in pretty simple and ordinary things. I distinctly remember one afternoon back in 2020 being on a camping trip with my family up at the springs in North Florida, and recognizing that in that moment, there was no where that I would have rather been. There were a lot of moments like that around the time that I first graduated college especially. Despite some of the chaotic and challenging circumstances at hand, I’ve had some very peaceful times throughout my 20s, and I am very grateful for that.
The Best Has Yet to Come
Of course, I recognize that as a young, 27 year old man, I have a lot of exciting things to look forward to. At the same time, the goal is to always honor and prioritize the present. It’s part of the reason why I’m even sitting here, writing this article, and looking out my bedroom window in the first place. On the surface it may look like this article is to give significance and importance to the past, but even when you remember the past, you do so in the present. Over the last year or so especially, I’ve found myself so busy that I’m spending a lot less time than I used to reminiscing about the past. Which I guess is a good thing. I’m finding that I tend to be happier and more productive when I’m not trying to live through past accomplishments, or beating myself up about past mistakes. Sometimes when life gives you challenges and tough situations, it can be hard to see the good in them and say “Yes” to them. Even though it makes things a lot easier and smoother when you do. As we close out 2024 I will have a lot good things to reflect on and think about, and I am optimistic 2025 will have a lot of great things to look forward to. On that original Reddit post, some even went as far as to say things like “I am 55 years old, and things just keep getting better!”. When you have that kind of attitude, things will always keep getting better. At least that’s seemed to be the case for me personally. Thank you for reading “The Happiest Times of My Life”! I will see you on the next article.
