Today was the day! Today was the opening of Happiness Box 2021! I always look forward to New Year’s Day and counting my blessings from the year that has passed. This year was even more special. A lovely, handsome man and a lovey-dovey cat helped me unbox this morning. I only taped the unboxing, I didn’t want to read the notes on air like previous years.
I’m glad I didn’t tape the reading. Tom read some notes with me, but then we took breaks, and we came back to the notes every few hours and we finished reading them before he left and before I left Terry’s.
I let him read about Summer Crush, Logan, because while he didn’t work out (Thank G-d) he opened the door for Tom. I truly believe that. Tom read it and said, “Oh.” It doesn’t matter, but I wanted him to see me before I met him. I also let him read about the old job struggles, how happy I was to get a new job and how awesome the new job is. He really smiled when he read what I wrote about him. His smile makes me smile. He’s one of my biggest Happiness Box moments.
I didn’t take photos of all the notes. Towards the end, I didn’t take any photos. Here are the photos of the notes I took yesterday.
I had a lot of growth in 2021 and it’s amazing to see the transformation. I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings.
Happy New Year!
The Happiness Box Project 
Hi, Jessica Marie!
Hooray for Happiness Box 2021! I’m going through a box of tissues reading these recent happy posts of yours, dear friend. What a blessing it was to have Tommy there with you for this meaningful annual event – the opening of your Box containing pictures,letters, notes and souvenirs accumulated during the course of the year just completed. I enjoyed the video. Your voice is hypnotic. I think I told you that before. You could do T.E.D. talks. One thing that really stood out in that video, and it is something that I learned in NLP training, is the way you spoke the name “Tom.” You spoke his name softly but clearly, and as you did, you looked at him and made a kind gesture toward him with your hand. All of those things you did sent the clear message to viewers and to Tom that you admire and respect him, that he is special and important to you. In NLP we had an exercise in which a group of ten to twelve people formed a tight circle with one subject in the center. They first listened as the subject spoke his or her own name the way he or she prefers to hear it pronounced, and with the specific intensity and intonation that produces ecstasy whenever they hear it spoken that way. Next, the group members looked at the subject, smiled, and, in unison, repeated the name, chanting it over and over again using the exact same pronunciation and intonation. In doing so, they “bathed” the subject in ecstasy as he or she enjoyed listening to his or her name spoken over and over again just the way they like to hear it. It is a valuable rapport building exercise.
In typical fashion, Terry’s kitty needed to me in the middle of the action, sprawled across the contents of your Box and demanding attention. You snapped many excellent pics of the notes and of the cuddling couple – “Tomessica” or “Jessommy” – whichever you prefer. 🙂
You certainly did enjoy tremendous growth in 2021 and, as I stated at Shady’s Place, I trust that you will keep the ball rolling and continue to build on that momentum throughout 2022. Happy new year to you and Tom, dear friend JM!
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