Happiness
January 17, 2018 at 10:38 am 50 comments
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 17 January 2018
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Photo Credit: J Hardy Carroll
Disneyland was the last trip our family had together. It was before dad’s deployment in Vietnam that would change our lives forever.
I remembered savoring each attraction and exhilarating ride with dad until it was time to go.
It was my first lesson on happiness. It never lasted. The happiness that the park provided during our stay was equal only to the sadness I felt when it was over.
If there was any consolation, it was that the sadness didn’t last as well. Being a kid, it wasn’t that hard to find happiness again. But growing up was another story.
Entry filed under: Blogroll, friday fictioneers. Tags: 100-word challenge, disneyland, fiction.
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Musings of a Random Mind 
1.
Alice Audrey | January 17, 2018 at 11:59 am
All those ups and downs – it’s hard to be a kid.
2.
plaridel | January 17, 2018 at 2:49 pm
alice:
i totally agree.
3.
James | January 17, 2018 at 12:23 pm
I certainly hope so.
4.
plaridel | January 17, 2018 at 2:49 pm
james:
hope springs eternal.
5.
Iain Kelly | January 17, 2018 at 1:45 pm
I’m sure he will look back in years to come and remember it with happiness.
6.
plaridel | January 17, 2018 at 2:49 pm
iain:
and hopefully create new ones for himself.
7.
Susan A Eames | January 17, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Ah, that’s so true of children, isn’t it?
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
8.
plaridel | January 17, 2018 at 2:49 pm
susan:
yes, and then they grow up. 🙂
9.
Dale | January 17, 2018 at 6:46 pm
That’s how life works…
10.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:47 am
dale:
for better or worse, i guess.
11.
Lata Sunil | January 17, 2018 at 9:09 pm
Kids have better resilience than adults and can bounce back quickly. Wish we were like them.
12.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:47 am
lata:
that’s very true. those were the days.
13.
anuragbakhshi | January 17, 2018 at 11:05 pm
Growing up is vastly over-rated. Lovely story.
14.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:46 am
anurag:
i couldn’t agree more.
15.
draliman | January 18, 2018 at 12:12 am
Ah, growing up. Not everything I thought it would be.
16.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:46 am
draliman:
it helps if we look at the positive side. it’ll keep us going.
17.
Sandra | January 18, 2018 at 2:45 am
Nicely done. The trials and tribulations of growing up.
18.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:46 am
sandra:
i appreciate the kind comment. thank you.
19.
rgayer55 | January 18, 2018 at 4:49 am
Nice metaphor. Life is much like a carnival ride–full of ups & downs, joy & sadness.
20.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:45 am
russell:
thank you for clarifying what i wanted to say.
21.
pennygadd51 | January 18, 2018 at 6:30 am
Very realistic and authentic story.
22.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:45 am
penny:
thank you for reading. much appreciated.
23.
Keith's Ramblings | January 18, 2018 at 6:43 am
I think I’ve finished growing up now – thank goodness!
Click to read my FriFic!
24.
plaridel | January 18, 2018 at 8:45 am
keith:
if anything, you have survived to tell about it. 🙂
25.
rochellewisoff | January 18, 2018 at 9:25 am
Dear Plaridel,
A lesson learned. All things are temporal. Well written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
26.
plaridel | January 19, 2018 at 1:38 pm
rochelle:
i think the sooner we realize it the better.
27.
Alicia Jamtaas | January 18, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Growing up is a hard lesson. Thank goodness we finally do and learn, once again, how to bring joy into our lives.
28.
plaridel | January 19, 2018 at 1:37 pm
alicia:
that’s the spirit.
29.
Christine Goodnough | January 18, 2018 at 9:40 pm
Sounds like he had the ability to roll with the punches — at least while he was young. Well written.
30.
plaridel | January 19, 2018 at 1:37 pm
christine:
like they say, when life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade.
31.
Christine Goodnough | January 19, 2018 at 2:15 pm
Better than turning sour. 🙂
32.
plaridel | January 20, 2018 at 10:15 am
christine:
but of course. 🙂
33.
Moon | January 19, 2018 at 3:53 am
Beautifully written story, Plaridel.
34.
plaridel | January 19, 2018 at 1:37 pm
moon:
thank you. i’m glad you liked it.
35.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | January 19, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Growing pains for sure… part of being a kid. I hope he came through it though. I hope he didn’t go to Afghanistan
36.
plaridel | January 19, 2018 at 1:40 pm
björn:
his dad didbn’t make it. he died in vietnam.
37.
Joy Pixley | January 19, 2018 at 3:51 pm
Nicely phrased and paced. And so true: good times are fleeting, and all you have left are memories. But the same is true for bad times. This, too, shall pass.
38.
plaridel | January 20, 2018 at 10:15 am
joy:
great comment. thank you.
39.
Dan Bohn | January 20, 2018 at 11:59 am
Good story Plaridel. I do wish I could have been here before you clarified with Björn that the dad died. I liked how the story ended. Emotions swimming easily for a child, then not so much as an adult. Joy is all around us, yet sadness lurks closely alongside love.
40.
plaridel | January 21, 2018 at 2:38 pm
dan:
i appreciate your comment. thank you kindly.
41.
Sarah Ann | January 21, 2018 at 4:59 am
Such a poignant ending and hard lesson to learn. The I just read the words, ‘It was my first lesson on happiness. It never lasted,’ on my first read. They really hit home on my second.
42.
plaridel | January 21, 2018 at 2:39 pm
sarah:
i’m glad you liked the story. thank you.
43.
Liz Young | January 21, 2018 at 8:38 am
So many families lost their fathers to that war. Well written.
44.
plaridel | January 21, 2018 at 2:40 pm
liz:
sadly, many did. thank you for reading.
45.
#Queen | January 22, 2018 at 12:41 am
Lovely read
Click Here to see what Mrs. Dash Says
46.
plaridel | January 23, 2018 at 12:06 pm
merina:
thank you for stopping by. much appreciated.
47.
patriciaruthsusan | January 23, 2018 at 5:24 am
People sometimes think childhood is always a happy time but it’s full of both sadness and happiness. It’s good we remember more happy times than sad. Good writing, Plaridel. 🙂 — Suzanne
48.
plaridel | January 23, 2018 at 12:05 pm
suzanne:
i guess the sooner we learn it, the better.
49.
Siobhan McNamara | January 23, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Life can throw some tough lessons at kids. At least he learned to appreciate happiness.
50.
plaridel | January 24, 2018 at 9:41 am
siobhan:
i think that will help him in the long run.