You don't need more money.

You don't need a bigger house.

You don't need a better career, higher salary, or more impressive job title.

You don't need a fancier (ahem, expensive) car.

You don't need designer shoes and purses.

You don't need to go on elaborate and costly vacations.

You don't need to eat caviar and porterhouse steaks every night for dinner.

You don't need to buy the rarest wines.

You don't always need to look "put-together."

You don't need to steadily "have it together."

Your kids don't have to act, look, or be perfect.

You don't need a gazillion friends.

You don't need a clean house.

You don't need an impressive degree or extensive employment history.

You don't need to be popular.

You don't need to be right.

You don't need a bangin' body.

You don't need a whole heap of junk that, in the end, well, it doesn't mean a damn thing.

The other day, I took my three-year-old to the aquarium, and upon our departure, I bought her a popsicle.

As we were walking to the car, she asked me "why" I had bought it for her.

Good question.

My answer?

Well, I told her that, quite simply,

"I know you like popsicles, and I wanted to make you happy."

Listen to her reply:

"I didn't need a popsicle, Mom. I was already happy."

From the mouths of babes, right?

If that wasn't a lightbulb for me that I need to stop appeasing and placating my children with actual popsicles and myself with phantom popsicles

thinking,

hoping,

wishing

and even praying

that "the extra" will make me happy – the short answer is,

IT WON'T.

It never has, and it never will.

The only thing that affects a person's happiness is their outlook and frame of mind.

I don't think that we need a popsicle.

She obviously didn't.

I propose that all that any of us needs, is

a perspective change, attitude adjustment and, perhaps, a bit more gratitude for the inherently delightful ordinary.

And, oh yeah, maybe more enlightening conversations with three-year-olds