I am lucky enough to live in a Seattle suburb that has a quaint downtown center with a view of the Puget Sound.  It’s not like I ever have time to buy a coffee and stroll around or anything. Afterall, I have three kids, with the oldest only seven years old.

But one day, I did happen by a little art and jewelry store and these wine glasses caught my eye.

I am an extremely practical, frugal person. I have never spent $50 for two wine glasses. But I knew right away that I was looking at something that would mean more to me than just two wine glasses.

I bought them and I call these my Happy Glasses.

To explain the significance of these glasses, I must provide the context.

I noticed something about a year ago.  As my kids got older and more active, my house got messier and messier. It seemed like I could never get ahead of the clutter and things were starting to wear out. Our bookshelf has a broken cabinet. Our carpets are stained. The couch has a hole.

As things wore out and things got messier, I started having my friends over less and less. Even though I love socializing, my house was starting to embarrass me and I suddenly felt self-conscious about inviting friends in.  As I started to see my friends less, I was staying in my home more. The more I stayed home, the more I noticed the shabbiness.  I was getting increasingly more depressed. It was a vicious cycle. 

The wine glasses in the window gave me inspiration. Without hesitation, I went in and bought them.

I brought them home and announced to my husband, but mostly to myself that they are my “Happy Glasses”.

When I pull out these dazzling beautiful wine glasses, my guest will no longer notice the pile of mail by the phone or the scattered DVDs in the living room. These happy classes can be the focal point of my friends attention and we can drink our wine without caring that the dog just tracked mud onto the white carpet or the 3-year-old just spilled juice.

I’m counting on these glasses to get me through the next few years – the glasses and the companionship of good friends.