What makes you happy?

I know when I’m immersed in one of my hobbies, I’m happy. How about you? Do you have just one hobby? Or, like me, many?

I like to move around in my hobbies. And I’m not even sure I’d call them all hobbies. More like interests.

One of the things I love to do is go metal detecting.

My cousin, Larry, bought a metal detector many years ago when we went to a gem and mining show in Victorville, California. Our first attempt at this new adventure was in his back yard. He lives in the home he grew up in. When he was young, he and his friends buried a cache of pennies and that’s what we were after.

Well, we didn’t find them. Mostly all we found was metal flashing and nails but that did prove something to us—that the metal detector was, indeed, finding metal. And, in keeping with another interest of mine – writing - I wrote an article about the adventure of searching for those pennies. It was published in an issue of Lost Treasure magazine.

That made me way happy! Here I was doing something I loved, both metal detecting and writing, and I got paid to do it. Yes! Happy happy happy!

Larry has since moved on to his interest of Ancient Egypt. Reading and researching, keeping in touch with people also interested in Ancient Egypt, traveling to Egypt, that’s what makes him happy.

And so, yipeeeee!! he lets me keep the metal detector.

Just the other day I took it out to see what treasures I could find.

Not much, before I got rained out, but that was okay. I was happy. I was metal detecting.

My last find, after recovering a whole whopping 41 cents, was three little Hot Wheels cars all in one scoop. I was smiling, enjoying the rain, enjoying my finds, as I walked to my car.

Since it was raining, I thought it would be a great time to pursue another interest of mine-weird tourist attractions. I love strange and unusual attractions and folk art environments are right there at the top of my list.

I’d been meaning to get to the Desert View Tower in Jacumba, CA for a long time but somehow it was always sweltering hot summer when I thought about it. I’ll wait till winter, I would promise myself.

I couldn’t wait any longer, though. I wanted pictures for my weird tourist attractions site NOW!

So I hopped in my little MR2 - road trips are another favorite thing for me - and I headed out to the Desert View Tower. I took the long way from Temecula through Julian and down the winding mountain road into the desert. A real road trip, rather than the Google freeway route.

Besides, my car was yearning for some curves!

When I got to the Desert View Tower it was HOT. I’d thought it might be cooler since it was raining in Temecula, but the coolness didn’t reach that far. It was nice and cool up on the hurricane deck of the tower, with the wind blowing through it. It’s open all the way around with awesome views of - I’ll give you three guesses! - the desert.

Even though it was hot, I had a fun time climbing the tower, taking pictures and clamoring around Boulder Park trying to find all the carvings in the rocks.

I was happy.

On the way home, I took the freeway route and stopped at a casino for a meal. Oh MY!!! The prime rib was the best I have EVER tasted. Good food makes me happy happy happy. And I was HAPPY. I brought most of it home and had some great meals for two more days.

So what makes YOU happy? Are you doing things that make you happy? Do you have a hobby you haven’t touched in a while? An interest you’ve always wanted to pursue but just never gotten to?

There is no better time than now to renew an interest in an old hobby or start a new one. Immersing yourself in a hobby is a great way to happiness. And, after all, being happy is what it’s all about. Right?