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What was the happiest time in your life?

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What was the happiest time in your life?

Share your happiest memory and see how many are similar or different than your's.

AARPTeri
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The happiest time in my life was when I was 20 and I bought my first horse.  I was with a group of people that also had horses and we would go riding in the forest preserve every weekend and sometimes during the week at night after work and of course tell scary ghost stories as we were riding on the trail after dark.  I had so much fun.  We would get back to the stables and the man that owned the stable had told us we could use the bunkhouse whenever we wanted so we usually went in there after riding and talked and watched TV.  Sometimes we would go out to eat together or go to one of our houses and party and dance and just have fun.  We all joined in a parade one time which was very fun.  It was something that I had also wanted to do since the time I was 7 years old and went to a parade in my hometown and saw people riding their horses in it.  I wanted so much to be able to have a horse and do that.  My whole life was spent wanting a horse and I finally was able to do that.  The absolute best time of my whole life.  I just wish I could be able to do it again.  I always wished that I had grown up on a ranch so I could be a cowgirl just like Annie Oakley.  I always watched all the western that were on TV.  I don't know where I got my love of horses from but from the time I was 4 or 5 I was crazy about horses.  My parents could never figure out why.  Maybe in my "next life" I will grow up on a ranch and have horses.  You never know.  Woman Wink

 

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@misscalicokitty wrote:

The happiest time in my life was when I was 20 and I bought my first horse.  I was with a group of people that also had horses and we would go riding in the forest preserve every weekend and sometimes during the week at night after work and of course tell scary ghost stories as we were riding on the trail after dark.  I had so much fun.  We would get back to the stables and the man that owned the stable had told us we could use the bunkhouse whenever we wanted so we usually went in there after riding and talked and watched TV.  Sometimes we would go out to eat together or go to one of our houses and party and dance and just have fun.  We all joined in a parade one time which was very fun.  It was something that I had also wanted to do since the time I was 7 years old and went to a parade in my hometown and saw people riding their horses in it.  I wanted so much to be able to have a horse and do that.  My whole life was spent wanting a horse and I finally was able to do that.  The absolute best time of my whole life.  I just wish I could be able to do it again.  I always wished that I had grown up on a ranch so I could be a cowgirl just like Annie Oakley.  I always watched all the western that were on TV.  I don't know where I got my love of horses from but from the time I was 4 or 5 I was crazy about horses.  My parents could never figure out why.  Maybe in my "next life" I will grow up on a ranch and have horses.  You never know.  Woman Wink

 


I love your story and I wonder if you still have horses.  It made me think of a good friend that I sadly lost last year.  She was very much into horses but had finally had to give them up when she had a child and didn't have time for them.  She went on to have other interests that she was just as passionate about, but whenever she would talk about her horses I would see her younger self.

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Hi PattyDiane,  No, unfortunately I don't have horses anymore.  I wish I did.  I'm in Arizona now but a couple of years ago I went on a trail ride.  I hadn't ridden in years but I had been wanting to so bad so I got together the money for a cab and went up to where the stable was and rode again.  It felt great.  I can't drive anymore so cabs are my only way around.  I took my second trail ride in 2013.  That one was for 2 hrs.  No running of course but it was nice just being on the back of a horse again.  Maybe I'll be able to do it again in the future.

 

 

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Mine was when I was a kid and we got a new dog!
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Camping in Kruger and Chobe Safari parks in South Africa and Botswana, respectively

 

Marilyn Lee

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The happiest time of my life is when I gave birth to my son.  I loved being a Mom and seeing things through the eyes of a child.  I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment and could not have raised a better son.  He is grown now and is still one of my finest achievements.

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My happiest times were when I held my firstborn, a son in my arms and then 4 years later, held my fraternal twin girls in my arms! The joy they brought me throughout their growing up years were my best days! Now, for 8 years and 6 years, 2 more precious children have come into my life-yes, my grandchildren! They are the one and only sunshine in my life right now; they keep me going!I enjoy every second I get with them! I'm going through some very tough times and have for too long, but they make me smile and cry happy tears through it all!
My greatest memories as a child are going to church 4 times a week and learning what I needed to help me in my life. I have great faith! The other ones are of Christmas time as a child. My parents made them very special, even though they had nine children and my Dad worked hard as a truck driver (although this man could do anything) and Mom worked from home taking care of us. Each Christmas, Grandpa would come and load us kids up in his pickup truck-some up front with him and some in the back covered with a camper top with windows. He'd take us on Christmas Eve to go see the beautiful lights all around while Mom, Dad, and other grandparents got our gifts ready. We would be filled with excitement after seeing the lights and when we would get home, we'd race to the door. there was always a room full of toys and we's stay up most of the night.
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When my two beautiful, intelligent girls were born. .
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In the summer of '75, I was 21 YO and full of romance & energy, and had my beautiful girlfriend, M, for 3 years and we were so much in love that I just couldn't see anyone else in my eyes. Though we couldn't spend enough time together because her parents were so strict and her brothers watched her like Hawks.

She told me that she'd be going to France with her younger brother and a friend of hers from school. I caught up with them and we spent a month in Nice, south of France, then we went to the Wine Country near Lyon to collect grapes. That was the best time of my life. We spent hours every day on the beaches of Nice, and traveling throughout the area, even since we had to work to make extra money, we worked together and indulged on loving each other. Later when we went to the wine country, we actually slept together in the same bed, and it was my joy to sleep holding her in my arms all night, feeling her warmth, throughout my body, walking in the empty streets after dinner holding each other, and kissing in the middle of the vineyard as the rain hit us often, we just wouldn't stop.

To this day, I haven't lived through better, loving, happier times, especially as we ended-up marrying other people.

 

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I would say that the happiest time and most memorable was from the year 2000 thru 2002. I met a wonderful man that I truely believed from another country and I knew we were meant to be together. However, life through severe curve balls for me. I was diagnosed with my illness and my mother with breast cancer at the same time. I was so in love with beautiful person but, the distance and illnesses was too much to deal with. Before the illness I had started making plans to move and work there we still remain friends but, I regret that decision in my life. So, I do know that was the happiest time in and if my life ( TRUE LOVE THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME FOR ME)....

TRUE LIVE DOES EXIST
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The happiest time in my life is the moment I am living at the time.  I have accomplished the journey up to this point and here I am.  I am well traveled, smarter, more mature, experienced in many catagories of employment from clipping dogs to TV and radio account excutive.  I have failed at love and succeeded in my present relationship for almost 35 years.  I know what birth is like and I know what death is like.  I have studied for years to learn about Jehovah, God.  He is loving, caring but also a disciplinarian and a wonderful guide through this system of things.  Happiness for me, is living right now, this very moment and knowing I have acquired a wealth of knowledge, a history of seeing the change brought about by many years.  Most of all I have a certain hope for tomorrow.  God's promises are true.  Not one of them has failed, ever.  That's my assurance that my next moment will add to my happiness and continue on and on until I am no more...and even then, I will be happy.

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I loved your response and it is heartwarming and a lovely statement for this question.
Judith J. Hoff
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@Judith1940 wrote:
I loved your response and it is heartwarming and a lovely statement for this question.

Especially in very active Discussions, it really helps if you use the "Quote" feature! That's the red box right above & on the right side of the entry panel, when you reply. Click on "Quote", before entering your response, and the system copies the post to which you're responding, so people know which post you're referring to. You can edit out anything extraneous if you want, just leaving enough for people to understand the connection.

If you don't use the "Quote", and there are a lot of posts before yours, NO ONE KNOWS TO WHICH YOU'RE REFERRING!


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The happiest years of my life were when I was a cardiovascular surgical resident at Stanford. I was working extremely hard and also "moonlighting" to pay for my husband's law school fees, but it was extremely satisfying, intellectually stimulating, and the work was incredibly interesting. My co-workers were fun men and I felt and still feel as if we were in a war trench elbow to elbow working to stamp out cardiovascular disease. It was a wonderful time in my life. I was the first female cardiac surgical resident at Stanford and had to "prove myself" to the "powers" at the University, which I was well able to accomplish. Just GREAT times.
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@Grac3 wrote:
The happiest years of my life were when I was a cardiovascular surgical resident at Stanford. I was working extremely hard and also "moonlighting" to pay for my husband's law school fees, but it was extremely satisfying, intellectually stimulating, and the work was incredibly interesting. My co-workers were fun men and I felt and still feel as if we were in a war trench elbow to elbow working to stamp out cardiovascular disease. It was a wonderful time in my life. I was the first female cardiac surgical resident at Stanford and had to "prove myself" to the "powers" at the University, which I was well able to accomplish. Just GREAT times.

What was Norm Shumway like; did you work with him personally?


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I would have to say that right now is the happiest time of my life. My wife and I have been blessed with a very good life but right now I am most content. We are retired, our kids and their families are  close to us and we see them regularly, we have loving grand-kids, my wife and I are happy with each other, our health is good, we are doing well financially and we do just about what ever we want. I have a life full of fond memories but right now is the best!

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RetiredTraveler makes a good distinction, between "Best Memory" and "Happiest Time" in our lives!

 

My best memory was going to a glitzy event in Manhattan, when I was going out with my last BF. I'd lost a lot of weight & looked hot, and he was very good looking.

 

The happiest time of my life, was after I retired, was no longer a caregiver, finally found & settled into a house on the shore! I had no job or family stress, was financially comfortable, had started making friends & connecting with the community.


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Soosie talking about SC makes me think of a childhood trip there.  I think I wrote about it once, perhaps in "Writing Memoirs" but it's nice to revisit it.

 

I was actually born in Charleston, SC although my parents moved back to their home town of Atlanta before I was a year old.  Perhaps it was all the stories I'd heard my mother tell, as she really liked living there and I don't think she wanted to leave, but when we went back on a vacation when I was about 12 I felt right at home.  I can't really imagine my parents doing this, but one day they allowed me and my sister to go on our own for a few hours in Downtown Charleston.  If I was 12 my sister was 9 and we felt so grown up.  I don't remember how much money we had, but we had a bit, probably whatever our allowences were.

 

One of the things we had heard my mother talk about was all the deli's in Charleston, as they didn't really have them in Atlanta, or at least not in our area.  Paula and I found one of the deli's and noticed they had cheesecake that they sold by the pound, like we would buy ground beef or something.  We pooled our money and asked how much chessecake we could get.  He cut a slab and wrapped it in white butcher paper.  Our next problem was where to go to eat and we noticed an old church with a connecting cemetary with the old tombstones and Spanish moss hanging from the old trees.  It looked cool and inviting so we headed there and ate our cheesecake while sitting on a cool marble tombstone.  After we feasted we read some of the stones, many of which had complete histories of the people who were buried there.

 

I'm not certain we ever told my mother about how we had spent our money.  I'm pretty sure we never told her where we had chosen to eat it.  I don't think she would have approved, but it was a great afternoon.

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The happiest time in my life was the year I went to Myrtle Beach when I was 10.  We camped out on the beach.  Everyday, the Krispy Kreme truck would go by selling doughnuts.  Everytime we went cyling, we would get thrown over into a sand dune by the wind.  All the campers decided to take a shower at the same time so the water was cold.  But everything we experienced was something new and different for me.  It was wonderful!

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I grew up in S. C. and remember my first trip to Myrtle Beach. I would return many times, but two times stand out in my memory. Once, I went on my motorcycle and got some cheers for doing a good slow ride down the main drag. The second time that stands out is when I went to Fat Harolds and found a good partner to dance the "shag." For those who do not know what this is, it is the state dance. I call it the lazy man's jitterbug. I have a friend who made the mistake of asking someone from England if they would like to shag with her. It seems "shag" has a totally different meaning for the British. She said she had some explaining to do.

The memory that always makes me smile is when they put my adopted son in my arms. He was eight weeks old and we had instant love. I didn't know until years later that I could not have a child, but I would not change things one bit. He is my love and joy.

Soosie
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There is a difference between 'happiest time' and more singular, 'happiest memory'. I have good childhood memories, even though my parents were not Ward and June Cleaver. Some happiest memories are going to Grandparent's farm. Others are playing in a (blues) band in high school and college along with playing with orchestra, band, marching band, pit band --- music in general. Lots of stress with practice, but lots of fun performances. 

   Best time of life is pretty much since retirement. No work stress, no financial stress, lots of travel, can indulge in many activities at my leisure rather than having to get things done in the evening, or weekend, because of working.   

   Possibly best singular moment was going to the Canadian Rockies for the first time, maybe getting the first 'real', full-time job out of college.... Or, was it the honeymoon... Smiley Wink

 


"...Why is everyone a victim? Take personal responsibility for your life..."
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Believe it or not I was happiest while working for NASA....YES....all 28 YEARS of my employ there. There was ALWAYS SOMEthing interesting and the people around me were fairly highly educated and extremely interested in their own jobs and it showed.....not to mention the product(s) that NASA put out there and the spin-offs from those products. There was almost ALWAYS SOMEthing exciting going on there. Fortunately I worked at NASA headquarters so when we went to the centers (Kennedy Space Center, Houston/Manned Flight Center, Langley, Goddard, JPL) for budget reviews we usually received a very warm welcome and, often, another tour of the facilities.

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I think in many ways my happiest time was when I was married for the first time.  This does not mean that it was problem-free.  We were broke, as a lot of couples were.  We tried to save up enough money for a pizza on Saturday night. but it was an exciting time.  I very much related to the movie "Barefoot in the Park".  We lived in an apartment in downtown Atlanta in an old building in which we were the only married couple.  It was a building dating from the '20's and the other occupants were widows who had lived there for years and gay men.  My husband worked at night much of the time and many of the other occupants sort of adopted me.

 

It was in an area that had a high population of artists and musicians and most nights we received a concert with the music drifting from around the corner or across the street.  There was one singer who must have had a job as a waiter someplace while trying to be discovered.  Many times we would hear him singing his way down the street below our window at about 2 AM.  I never saw anything but the top of his head since we lived on the 2nd floor, but I enjoyed his music.

 

During that period of time I got a promotion and a raise.  It wasn't a lot, but each little bit was cause for celebration.  My inlaws were great and before they moved back into town we visited them in Baltimore and took a couple of trips to New York for more adventure.  I bought my first house and got my first dog.

 

This does not mean there weren't problems but I was still idealistic enough to believe in the fairy tales and "happily ever after".  I really thought I could solve all the problems.  It came as a rude awakening to know that there were some problems I just couldn't solve.

 

On the other hand, I agree with retiredtraveler.  Right now is pretty good.  There are a lot of problems I've solved and I can do pretty much as I wish, a freedom that I could never have had when I was younger.  Whereas I would not want to return to my 20's and relive the past 50 years, it's sometimes a nice place to go for a visit in my mind.

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Patty, it does sound like an idyllic time straight from a movie. 

 

My early childhood was very happy and sceure.  I lived wth my youngish grandparents, they were 40 & 48 when I was born.  Then I came to live with my mom when I was 9 and found out the world did not revolve around me.  It would have been nice to find that out more gradually!

 

My first 2 years of high school were great as well as the senior year in college.  Things were still new and full of surprises.    Later life calmed down and there were not so many low points but the high points were less pronounced too.

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